The Eyes of the Oracle
by Quietly Making Noise
Summary: By chance, the Exiled Falcon's first mission for his new employer is to get to the Second Oracle before the rebels do. However, nobody mentioned what it might cost him... (R for lang. and viol.)
1. Reincarnation

**Update Log:  
24-03-05: **Revised version uploaded.  
**03-03-05:** Small things changed, fanfic revised.**  
16-10-04:** Name of new character revised.**  
29-08-04:** 1 spelling revised.  
**28-08-04:** Pre-chapter 'quotes' revised.**  
27-08-04:** Entire fanfic taken down for re-vamping; will be re-posted as each chapter is updated due to much-appreciated con-crit.  
**25-07-04: **Entire fanfic updated - spellings and inconsistencies revised.

* * *

**1: REINCARNATION**

* * *

_He falls from the sky on wings of dark glass._

* * *

_  
The bird soared high on the warm spiral of air that ascended from the road below. Its outstretched wings rippled in the wind that blew constantly up this high, and the bird twisted its head, scanning the lower sky with a razor eye for slower birds in the air just above the superheated tarmac. The sun sliced out of the clouds, glancing off the bird's unremarkable plumage. The deep blue on its wings and back provided perfect camouflage against the heavy skies. Thunder whispered in the south._

_Somewhere in the web of codes, invisible to the humans, a timer ran out of figures to count. By coincidence, the falcon spotted a pigeon at this exact same moment. The bird dropped out of the sky, wings cutting back and folding into a streamlined torpedo shape. The pigeon flapped clumsily. Three codes: a deactivation code and two death codes raced the simulation of the falcon, and all four struck in the same moment. _

_As the talons of the peregrine falcon sank into the warm flesh of the pigeon at a speed of approximately two-hundred-and-sixty-three miles per hour, the deactivation code pierced the falcon's back. It shrieked; high and wild, and both birds tumbled out of the sky, locked together. The death code for the pigeon pieced the unconscious bird's left wing, and its eyes went dull in simulated death. The falcon went limp as well, its eyes falling shut as its own death code hit. The birds dropped and dropped, landing with a small thump in the meadow beside the road..._

Falcon opened his eyes. He and the pigeon program, a slim human-like girl with long silvery hair, were lying in the long grass. He disentangled himself from the pigeon and stood up: a petit, human-like young Englishman with a mop of dark hair that shone a shadowy blue in the sunlight, and intense golden eyes. 'Bugger,' he declared, glaring accusingly at the empty sky.

'Is death so hard? I have another sixty-seven incarnations to go through,' said the pigeon, scornfully. She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. She was wearing a long, shapeless, silvery-grey dress, with a flickering dark green section at her breast.

'Birds of prey only get three, because they tend to last longer,' he informed her. 'That was my last one.'

'What did you die of?' she asked.

'Your backbone,' answered Falcon, bitterly. 'I misjudged the placement of my talons, jarred my spine, and my neck snapped.'

The pigeon tossed her head. 'Lovely. Well, I suppose I won't see you again. The codes for my next body will arrive in about twenty-four hours. Enjoy the Source.'

'I'm not going to the Source.'

The girl raised her eyebrows, 'Oh?'

'I'm going to see the Merovingian.' Falcon allowed himself a smile.

'The who?' The pigeon came closer, her head jolting forwards with each step out of habit. Falcon tilted his head to see her wings: they were average size and a fine grey colour. His falcon eyes could see flecks of light brown and darker colours in the feathers.

'He rescues outdated programs. You have to work for him, but you get to carry on in the Matrix. Plus the reloading doesn't affect you, so you get to live forever.'

She frowned at him, 'Good luck dodging Agents then, hawk-boy.'

'Thanks,' he said flatly. That would be the hardest part. Thank Architect he kept his falcon eyes and ears. Nothing could sneak up on him with his unnaturally acute senses. 'Good luck with the other sixty-seven,' he added, as the pigeon turned and strode away towards the woods that bordered the meadow, her head jerking repeatedly. Her wings uncurled in farewell.

Falcon spun suddenly as he heard a shout of 'What the hell is _that_?'. He frowned in the bright sunlight and saw two human males standing beside the road about thirty-three metres away, staring at him. The smaller had a spot on his chin. He swore and began sprinting after the other program, towards the woods. She had already vanished into its depths. The humans spoke to each other rapidly, and Falcon heard every word.

'An Angel!'

'Idiot, they don't exist. He's probably going to some fancy dress party...'

'Maybe you're right...'

The program breathed a silent sigh of relief. Humans never wanted to see what they knew was impossible. Or at least, what they _thought_ they knew was impossible. Such one track minds...

Safe in the cover provided by the woods, Falcon considered his next move. Flying now would be way too obvious, and would only alert Agents to his disobedience... but he simply couldn't resist. The small cobalt wings at his shoulder blades flexed and beat once or twice experimentally. Falcon listened for any nearby humans, before exploding out of the tree canopy in a pounding of feathers and broken branches.

Sure enough, humans in the meadow on the other side of the woods stared and pointed at his robe-clad figure as he soared up towards the clouds. He considered creating a halo for himself using his limited programming skills, but dismissed the idea. Instead, he streaked towards the heavy clouds, arms strictly to his sides as his wings beat rhythmically. He wondered idly why outdated bird programs always became humans with wings, dressed in varying coloured robes, and reasoned that it was because of the existential existence of Angels. The rumours needed some truth to keep them alive. He grinned to himself in the knowledge that he'd just made the headlines for the next week.

Safe in the upper sky, and an environment in which he was comfortable, he floated and mentally plotted a course for himself. He also altered his own codes and garbed himself in a long navy trench coat, pale yellow trousers and shirt, and a pair of sturdy boots; clothes as close to his plumage as he could think of. He opened the top two buttons of his shirt and streaked off towards the mountains.

Falcon landed gracefully outside the mansion, folding his wings flat against his spine. From the back, he looked as though he were wearing a feathery waistcoat. The front garden was about fifty metres long; composed of grass lawns with trees lining the borders. There was a set of stocks to one side, with rotted vegetables exploded against the wood. A couple of ears were still pinned to the head board by two kitchen knives. Falcon winced. The Frenchman had a strange sense of humour.

The gravel scrunched and displaced itself as he strode up the curving path and knocked boldly at the double side doors. There was the clinking of keys, and the left hand door opened slowly. He had to look up slightly to see into the eyes of the young man. He was Oriental, dressed in pale yellow with a lighter t-shirt beneath the long jacket. Sunglasses hid his eyes, and his black hair was cut long, falling about his shoulders and feminine features.

Falcon stepped inside. His short stature made him doubly assertive.

'Normally people like you go around via the restaurant,' chided the young man quietly. His accent was American, softened by Chinese.

'I intend to bypass any bullshit,' stated Falcon. His ears heard sounds of an industrial size kitchen somewhere close, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where. This worried him a little.

'You are a bird, correct?' asked the program.

'Yeah, my name is Falcon. And you are..?'

'My name is Tiger.' Falcon trained his eyes on the program and saw the slender fangs in his open mouth as he formed the "Ti" syllable. 'Come with me. You must speak with the Merovingian. He has been expecting you since you expressed your desire to work for him.'

Falcon followed Tiger through a plain green room and two corridors. They came to a grand entrance hall; thousands of weapons from several hundred cultures were mounted on the walls. Tiger led him down a flight of elegant steps and to a door at the foot of the hall. He withdrew a heavy key ring, selected a key and unlocked the door, revealing the kitchen Falcon had heard earlier. His ears had heard the key in the lock, and he knew there was something more at work than in your average lock. He had heard _molecules_ shifting as Tiger turned the key.

He followed the vampire through the restaurant, to a long table at the back of the room. He glanced around, and saw a pair of dreadlocked albino twins lounging in leather armchairs within calling distance. They frowned identical frowns at the feathers plastered to his back. He looked forwards again. Tiger moved from his vision, and he saw the Frenchman himself seated at the table, a glass of red wine in his hand.

'_Bonjour, mon faucon peregrine_. Please, be seated.'

Falcon remained where he was, replying in kind. '_Non merci, monsieur_.'

'Ah, anozzer who 'as realised z' beauty of z' language.' He smiled slyly, and Falcon crushed a shiver. 'I 'ave been awaiting your return to me, Falcon,' continued the Merovingian. 'You see, I 'ave a rather interesting experiment I would like you to test for me.'

Falcon raised his eyebrows. The Merovingian put down his glass and leaned forwards, lacing his fingers with his elbows on the table. Intrigued, Falcon took a seat.

'I 'ave absolutely no doubt that you would be a valuable addition to my little... shall we say, gang. 'Owever, I 'ave been informed that it would be possible for me to alter your programming somewhat, in order to create much more efficient assassins. You see zem?' He motioned with his head towards the Twins, not breaking eye contact with the bird program for a second. Falcon nodded. 'In effect, I would be able to merge your talents. Zey would gain heightened eyesight and hearing; you would gain invisibility and z' ability to split yourself and leave a temporary copy behind for your enemies to stumble over.'

The Merovingian straightened, taking up his glass again. His startlingly blue eyes bored into Falcon, who shifted in his seat. He could feel the Twins' eyes drilling into the side of his head, and Tiger's gaze at his back. He felt trapped. 'I wouldn't lose anything..?' he hazarded.

'Nothing.' The program took a sip of wine. Falcon looked back at the Twins, who met his gaze almost equally. Falcon's stare could make a stuffed fox blink.

'All right,' said Falcon eventually.

'Excellent.' The Merovingian gestured to Tiger, who came forwards. 'Remember zo, Falcon. You are in my services now. Any double crossing or second thoughts...' He left his sentence hanging, and his eyes locked with Falcon's once more. The Look hinted of painful things too grotesque to picture safely.

Falcon nodded and allowed himself to be led away by the vampire. The Twins stood up simultaneously. The Merovingian held up a hand to stem their protests, 'Please you two, it will be a relatively painless experience, and zen you will literally 'ave z' eyes and ears of a falcon. Between you, you will be unstoppable.'

They leered at each other. The Merovingian added, 'You will be sent for when z' codes are extracted. Do not worry yourselves, _mes spectres_.'

The Twins sat down again and resumed their constant watching of the customers. The Merovingian smirked and ordered more wine.

* * *

**  
Notes:  
****Quietly Making Noise** lays claim to the programs Falcon, Pigeon and Tinnun; the rebels of the _Alethea _and Elfthe idea of Merging and Twinning; and the idea of template human shells for animal programs (as far as I'm aware). All canon characters will be dry cleaned and replaced afterwards. 

Many thanks to **Dark Puck**, whose fanfiction with **SoldierZero** : 'Fourth Cycle: Runaways' was the inspiration for this tale.

Thanks also to **SapphireNight** and **AbsolutelyNoSoliciting** for their reviews, which persuaded me to keep up with this even through my GCSEs. :Twitch:

Obviously I don't own the Matrix, and neither do I intend to make money from this work of fiction.


	2. Coincidence

**Notes:  
**_Thanks Puck! That extra 'o' has been shot. As for Tinnun, (a-k-a Somali), she'll appear later on._

* * *

**2: COINCIDENCE**

* * *

_The connection is made. _

_

* * *

Aerial yawned. The soft blue night lights of Zion were dampening her awareness, making her sleepy. She was tired anyway, having been unceremoniously woken up in the small hours with an urgent message from her captain to get back to the ship. Eventually the lift slowed and stopped, and she stumbled out. She could see Captain Mimic standing alone next to the sleeping ship; no one else was in sight._

'I could have had another ten minutes in bed,' she grumbled, dropping her bag beside the railing.

'You and me both, kid,' replied Mimic, beginning to pace up and down. Aerial leant on the railing and stared up at the web of walkways that spanned the enormous cavern near the core. One of the best things about Zion was that it was so warm...

She was contemplating going back to sleep when the lift doors opened once more. The fiery-haired operator, Phoenix, strode towards them, the assistant operator at his elbow. Tiresias was blind, but it didn't stop him coming up with the best attack strategies on this side of the planet. He was also a whiz at guessing passwords. Mimic stopped her pacing and opened her mouth to berate them for their lateness, but Tiresias got in first, 'We only got the message ten minutes ago, before you explode.'

'_Oui_, the messenger boy you sent got lost,' added Phoenix. His English was near perfect, as it had been uploaded to his brain when he was freed, but he was from Paris. Tiresias had lived in London for most of his life.

He left Phoenix's side and went to the railing, dropping his bag beside Aerial's. He sat on it and ran his hands through his hair, spiking it up. Aerial sank down next to him and he smiled as he sensed her presence.

The lift doors opened again. Tiresias lifted his head and listened; Mimic wheeled around from inspecting her ship. Genius, Vriha and Sphere crossed the decking. The latter two looked very tired, but Genius' eyes were bright.

Vriha's full alias was Vrihaspati, a lesser Hindu god of hymns and prayers. Not a lot of people could pronounce it correctly, so he shortened it. He was a slim Pakistani who specialised in combat with machetes. Sphere was also Asian, with very long dark hair that she wore plaited in a single braid down her back. Genius was American, of medium height and pretty well built. Aerial thought he might be attractive, if his personality wasn't about as appealing as month-old road kill.

Genius ran a little to get to the front of the group, trying to pretend he wasn't half asleep. This time Mimic did explode, 'Where have you _been_? I sent the message an hour and a half ago!'

'It was these two, Captain,' put in Genius, swelling his chest. 'I was awake instantly and ready within ten minutes.' Sphere and Vriha exchanged glances; Vriha shrugged his shoulders at Mimic.

'Whatever.' Mimic could just about put up with Genius, as could the rest of the crew. He was unbelievably arrogant, and the worst thing was he seemed not to be aware of the fact. He actually _believed_ that he was the best hacker on board the ship, when majority opinion assured him that Phoenix was.

'Let's get out of here,' said Mimic, slinging her bag over her shoulder and flicking her hair from her eyes.

'What about Spess?' asked Aerial. Spess was the first mate, and rumours said that he and Mimic were, or were close to becoming, an item.

'If he's not here in two minutes, we're leaving without him,' said Mimic impatiently.

Right on cue, Spess came flying down the ladders that provided an alternative to the lifts. He was a broad-shouldered Jamaican whose family had moved to America before he was born. He skidded to a halt, offering an apologetic grin to Mimic. The captain rolled her eyes and motioned with her free hand, 'Come on.'

Aerial stood up and let Tiresias link her, following Sphere onto the _Alethea_.

Spess piloted the ship skilfully through the tunnels, with Phoenix co-piloting. The _Alethea_ was primarily designed for scouting out new uncharted sewers, and as such there was very little living space on board. Aerial thought it quite cosy. Mimic often complained about the lack of space and threatened to extend it herself if they weren't given a bigger one soon.

Aerial emerged from her cabin as the ship gave the familiar lurch which meant they were landing. Vriha beckoned to her and ducked into the dining room. Aerial followed. The entire crew squeezed into the white-walled little room; Genius elbowed Vriha in the ribs as he squashed up to let Aerial in.

'Right,' began Mimic, 'I know you're all anxious to know the reason for me calling for you in the middle of the night, and you'll be disappointed, because I can't tell you exactly. However, I can tell you that the Oracle has requested two of our crew members to visit her, as soon as possible.'

Genius perked up, his eyes shining. Aerial rolled her eyes. Mimic continued, 'We'll be at broadcast level in a few hours, so run along and amuse yourselves until then. Vriha, there's a load of cables come loose again near the core – they need re-bundling and shoving somewhere out of the way. Off you go.'

The crew dispersed. Genius caught Aerial's arm and led her to a corner. 'Are you doing anything tonight?' he whispered. Aerial shook her head. The young man grinned, 'Fancy hopping into the Matrix for dinner with me?'

Aerial gave him a seething look and stalked away to the core. Genius called after her, 'You let that other guy take you out once! How is this any different?'

Aerial walked across to the monitor layout and studied a random screen absorbedly. 'Something wrong?' asked Phoenix from his customary position in the middle of the sprawling arrangement.

Aerial shook her head slightly, 'Genius. He thinks he's so... _it_.'

'I know what you mean. Why don't you kick some imaginary ass in the dojo?' Phoenix winced as a burst of sparks came from above his head, and Vriha swore in Bengali.

Aerial smiled, 'Yeah, I think I will. Beam me up, Scottie.' Tiresias gave a half laugh from his position tinkering with some wires at the array of chairs.

'Huh?' said Phoenix, puzzled.

'Nothing... just something from a TV show I used to watch,' said Aerial, crossing the deck to her favourite chair. Tiresias followed the sound of her boots on the metal and jacked her in, his fingers running over the back of her head as he located the plug at the base of her skull. Phoenix loaded the training dojo.

Dressed in loose a martial arts robe, Aerial warmed up quickly by running for five minutes, then stretching and limbering up. She had been going through her moves for about an hour when Genius flashed up, dressed identically except for the colour. Aerial ignored him and performed a round-off, four backward handstands and a back-flip.

'Bring it on, Aerial,' he taunted, taking up his first stance. Aerial ignored him again and went in a run to the nearest wall, taking six steps vertically up a beam and back-flipping off. The back-flip was her favourite move. Genius, still wounded at her rejection earlier, came towards her again, 'Come on Aerial, give it a shot.' He took up his stance again.

Aerial regarded him coldly, 'You didn't bow.' Her English accent was like glass compared to his drawling tones.

Genius looked scornful, 'You don't believe in that shit, do you?' He rolled his eyes as she nodded once, 'Oh give me a break...'

'I could break your neck if you want.' Her anger was rising. Deliberately, she bowed slowly, one fist against the other palm. Genius' eyes lit up and he came at her.

Aerial let her anger flow into her limbs, and they exchanged blows and dodges and blocks, each trying to outsmart the other. Aerial leapt over him, dodged his foot as he lashed out and let fly with a ferocious combo ending in a drop kick. Genius soared through the air but controlled his fall and landed heavily on his feet at the other end of the dojo.

Aerial took a running jump, but bent the rules of gravity, arcing her body towards the rafters and landing softly on a large beam.

Genius got to his feet below her and stared up, panting. 'Come down and finish this!' Aerial stepped from behind the eaves and bowed, signalling the end of the fight. Genius scowled, but said nothing beyond, 'Phoenix, get me out of here.' He disappeared a few moments later.

Aerial dropped down to the matting again, taking the sting out of the fall with a front flip. She was hot and sweating; her robe clung to her. She was still furious with the young man, and ran as fast as she could towards the nearest wall, this time managing eleven vertical steps before the ceiling came too close and she pushed off. She shot through the air on her back for a few precious seconds as she fought gravity, then performed a backward somersault and...

..._ dropped out of the sky, wings cutting back and folding into a streamlined torpedo shape. The pigeon flapped clumsily. Three codes: a deactivation code and two death codes raced the simulation of the falcon; all four struck in the same moment..._

... Aerial cried out in the echoing silence of the dojo as a sharp burning pain lanced up her spine. She twisted in the air and lost her concentration. Gravity returned with vengeance on her unconscious form, bringing the girl's body down hard onto the matting...


	3. Visions and Codes

**3: VISIONS AND CODES **

**

* * *

**

_She was not afraid of falling until now. _

_**

* * *

**_

'Merde!' Phoenix patched himself through to the dojo and said urgently, 'Aerial, can you hear me?'

'What is it?' asked Tiresias, a worried tone to his voice. He crossed the room to the setup. Phoenix cursed again in French and hammered some more keys.

'Aerial was doing one of her floating things again, and then she just dropped. I have no idea what happened to her.' The operator leaned backwards and glanced at the girl's monitor, 'She's passed out by the look of it. _Mon dieu! Regardez!_'

Phoenix's slip into French told Tiresias something was definitely wrong. Sphere skidded across the deck from where she was soldering two wall plates back together and swore in turn as she saw Aerial's monitor. Her readings were going crazy. Sphere made for the chairs. 'Get me in there, Tiresias.'

Tiresias followed Sphere to her chair, plugging her in. Phoenix made an entry to the dojo and threw Sphere's mind in.

The medic opened her eyes and glanced around. Nothing was amiss in the program, except...

'Oh no...'

She sprinted over to Aerial's limp form and turned her onto her back gently. She was relieved to find a pulse at her neck, and brushed some of her long hair from her face, 'Aerial... Aerial!'

Suddenly she was awake; sitting bolt upright and panting. Sphere placed a cool hand on her forehead, making her lay back again, 'Relax, little one.'

Aerial fought to stop herself from breathing so heavily. Sphere grabbed her hand, and Aerial gripped it until she had herself back under control. 'Wow...'

Sphere stood and helped her up, her arm falling about the girl's shoulders protectively. 'What happened?'

'I don't know. I just had this sharp pain in my back, and then... and then I passed out. It was weird.'

'Are you okay?'

'I think so...' Aerial broke away from Sphere's arms and stretched, bending over from the waist to touch the floor. 'Yep, I'm all right.'

'Good. What say we get out of here?' Aerial nodded gratefully. Sphere tilted her head up and called, 'Phoenix! We want to come home now!'

The dojo split vertically into eight equal segments: four shot forwards, four backwards, and the blank whiteness of the Construct dissolved into the colourful darkness behind closed eyelids. Aerial flicked her eyes open and Tiresias removed the jacks from her and Sphere. Sphere got up immediately; probably to go in search of Mimic and inform her of what had happened. Tiresias ran the fingers of his left hand along Aerial's arm until he found her hand and squeezed it gently, 'Are you all right?'

'Yes, thanks. I'm shaken, but I'm okay.' She smiled faintly.

Tiresias frowned, his dark eyes narrowing. 'What happened?' He held on to her as she stood up, keeping his hand on her upper arm. When she made no response he said, 'Something's changed about you. At the risk of sounding like a Jedi, I can sense it. Will you tell me what happened?'

Aerial glanced around. 'Can we talk in the canteen?' she asked quietly. She trusted Tiresias with what she hadn't told Sphere. Although he was three years older than her, she trusted him with her life. For his part, Tiresias felt closer to Aerial simply because when she spoke to him he could hear no trace of pity in her tone, and when she helped him out, it was friend to friend, not advantaged to disadvantaged.

Seated in the quiet dining room, on opposite sides of the bench, Aerial began to explain. She felt the ship lurch and begin moving again. Tiresias' head was facing down towards the table, but she knew he was listening. He rarely did anything else.

'I did a wall run, and pushed off into the air. I was floating, seeing how long I could defy gravity, when something pierced my back. It hurt, like when you stab yourself with a needle right under your nail.

'And... then I had this vision. It was as though I was a bird, but instead of flying I was falling, falling as fast as a shooting star, and the pain was still there in my spine and my neck, like a burn. Long grass came rushing up towards me, and then I must have passed out, 'cos I don't remember anything else until Sphere brought me round.'

'That _is_ weird,' commented the assistant operator. He raised his head and rubbed his face with his hands, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. He paused as he thought, his analytical mind running through all the possibilities. Eventually he shrugged and smiled wryly, 'Maybe you can ask the Oracle when we go.'

'What?' Aerial was surprised. 'Who's going to the Oracle?'

'Me and you. Mimic doesn't want to tell anyone else, mainly because Genius will flip his lid. He's convinced it's him; I don't know if you noticed.' Aerial shook her head. Tiresias' perception of the world around him was frightening sometimes. In response to this thought, Tiresias smiled more warmly, 'I overheard him bragging to Vriha,' he explained. Aerial grinned.

Unexpectedly, Genius stuck his head around the door, 'Aerial, Mimic wants to talk to you.' He disappeared again. Aerial stood up to leave, a rush of foreboding installing itself in her stomach.

'Do you want me to come with you?' her best friend asked softly, getting to his feet.

'Yeah... that'd be nice.'

* * *

Falcon had lain still on what resembled an operating table for little short of three hours. He had been ordered to spread his wings, and, lying on his back, he was becoming very bored. He'd already counted the holes in the ceiling panels and picked out the sounds of every individual person in the restaurant a couple of... _doors _away. The four tubes attached to each wing would be still for long periods, and then all of a sudden, one would flash brightly as a code was extracted. 

Finally he was told to get up. A white clothed Doctor program removed the tubes connected to his wings: a painless process because there were no nerves in the navy coloured feathers.

The Doctor who had been monitoring the extraction process came towards him, holding an ordinary syringe. The barrel glowed fluorescent green. Falcon peeled back his sleeve and revealed his arm, excited about the abilities he was to receive. Splitting himself in two would be interesting, and the best thing about going invisible would be that his body would then heal itself. He really would be unbeatable.

The program plunged the needle into the vein at Falcon's elbow, and he choked down a scream. Through the scarlet pain, he was certain that the Doctor had been this brutal on purpose. Purple spots flared around the edges of his vision. He seemed to be taking forever to inject the bloody stuff as well.

It might have been some comfort to Falcon to know that the ghosts on the other side of the wall were going through a similar experience, in duplicate. However, he wasn't aware of this.

The Twins went even paler than usual as they received the bird program's super-sight and hearing via hypodermic needle. 'This had better be worth it,' gritted Two, permitting himself to flinch behind his sunglasses.

'It better had be,' agreed One, glaring at the Doctor administering the codes. She smiled dryly at him and withdrew the needle. A bead of blood appeared on the program's stark white skin, and the Doctor program returned and swabbed the wound roughly with a pad of cotton wool. She darted backwards and nearly knocked over a trolley of surgical implements as the ghost went insubstantial, healing itself, and then reappearing. Two had done the same thing, only without shocking the older Doctor so much.

Falcon exited his treatment room at the same time as the Twins appeared in the corridor, clamping a cotton pad to his elbow. The ghosts smirked. 'Pity_ it_ doesn't heal itself,' commented one of them. Falcon, stung by the insult, concentrated.

He felt something sweep through him, and suddenly he had ceased to be composed of normal atoms. He looked down at himself and laughed soundlessly. The tiny puncture wound at his elbow had vanished, knitted together by the absence-of-molecules that was his body. He let the feeling go, and his form reverted to "normality" again. The ghosts had obviously been quick to forget that there was another side to the bargain that gave them Falcon's abilities. He returned his gaze to the Twins to see them scowling, and he knew he had made rivals for life. Without another word to him, they spun on their heels in perfect unison and stalked down the corridor back to the restaurant.

'Stuck up bastards,' muttered Falcon, turning and striding the other way.

'We heard that,' came the response. Falcon had been just as quick to forget that the code merging had been an exchange, rather than an act of favour. He noted the proud streak in both himself and the Twins with interest.

'Ah, _mon faucon!_ 'Ow did it go?' The Merovingian appeared around the corner, spreading his arms.

' "Ow" is about the right word,' said Falcon icily.

His employer shrugged. 'But you 'ave ze skills, right?'

'Yep. I'm all set.'

'_Bien, bien_. Come wiz me to my office, and I will tell you about your first littal errand for me.'

* * *

'_My God! Look!'_


	4. The Mission

**4: THE MISSION **

**

* * *

**

_The second wave breaks over both. _

_

* * *

_

Aerial and Tiresias followed Genius back up to the core layout, where Mimic stood behind Phoenix, watching the Matrix. Genius was about to proclaim their presence, but he only got as far as, 'Capta' before Mimic turned around and cut him off with 'Thanks, Genius. Now scoot – we have things to talk about.'

'But'

'Shoo. Now.'

Genius' face fell as he shuffled back to the ladder that connected the two decks.

Tiresias made his way to Phoenix's side and began tiding the wires at the rear of the main layout. Aerial was glad he was around. Phoenix was absorbed in his screens as usual, which meant Sphere was co-piloting. Mimic came closer to her and spoke quietly, 'Sphere told me you took a nasty fall in the dojo.'

Aerial nodded, unsure as to whether she was brave enough to reveal the vision to her captain. 'Are you okay?' pressed Mimic. Aerial nodded again. Tiresias cleared his throat. Aerial sighed and dutifully explained the vision she had experienced before she fell. Mimic's blue eyes never left her face. The captain left her side and went to a chair, resting her hands on the back.

'I've heard of things like this, but only rumours picked up in the common room in the Captain's quarters down in Zion. They say every program the System created has a residual self-image, much like we do. Except it's not really a self-image. More accurately, each individual program is based upon an individual connected to the Matrix.'

'A program was based on _me_?' asked Aerial incredulously.

'It sounds like it,' agreed Mimic. 'This sort of thing has happened before; a boy named Elf passed out like you did. Turns out his twin program was deactivated at the same moment.'

'So I've made contact with my "twin program"?'

'No – it made contact with you, probably inadvertently, judging by the vision you had.' Mimic turned her head and looked at Aerial, 'Do you feel any different?'

'No. I'

'How about in the dojo, was anything different then?'

Aerial's head was beginning to spin with the questions being fired at her. A headache throbbed across her forehead. 'I can't remember...'

Mimic gestured to the chair, 'Come on. I want to look into this. Phoenix, load the dojo. Tiresias, plug us in, would you?'

Tiresias winced mentally at the change in Mimic's tone when she addressed him, and crossed to the chairs again. Aerial obediently lay back in the chair, Mimic next to her. At least in the simulation, there would be no headache...

* * *

The dojo was exactly as it was when Aerial had sparred with Genius, minus the dent in the floor from her subsequent fall. Mimic took a few paces forwards, and put her hands on her hips, surveying the room. She turned around and faced the smaller girl, 'How do you feel?' 

'I never noticed the echo in here before,' noted Aerial, turning her head this way and that.

Mimic shot her a look, 'What echo?'

'You can't hear it?' _hear it... hear it... hear it... _

'No.' _no... no... no..._

'I can see clearer too. Every little detail of the walls and matting. Woah, if I concentrate I can see the pixels!' Aerial narrowed her eyes, staring around her. 'This is weird...' she remarked.

Mimic was staring at her. 'I think some of your program has transferred to you,' she said slowly.

Aerial was reluctant to believe it. 'But nothing else has changed.' She patted herself down...

_...The program plunged the needle into the vein at Falcon's elbow, and he choked down a scream. Through the scarlet pain, he was certain that the Doctor had been this brutal on purpose. Purple spots flared around the edges of his vision. He seemed to be taking forever to inject the bloody stuff as well..._

...On the ship, Aerial's body jerked, rattling the straps holding her in place. Tiresias raised his head swiftly, moving from his position between the chairs to Aerial's side. Her body shuddered again, and again.

In the dojo, Aerial dropped to her knees with a stifled cry as a blindingly sharp pain flared at her elbow. Mimic's eyes went wide. The girl clutched her arm, rocking back and forth in agony. It was worse than before. Impossibly, she felt a trickle of something flowing into her arm, and then it was over. She pitched forwards as her muscles relaxed all at once; trying to quell the sobs she had subdued.

Mimic grabbed her shoulders and hauled her upright, yanking up the sleeve of her robe to inspect her arm. There was no visible wound, and Mimic had the treacherous thought that the younger crewmember was inventing the whole thing. But the tears making her eyes shine were of real pain: Mimic was experienced in that department. A sudden wave of compassion came over her, and she took Aerial into her arms and hugged her.

'I'm, I'm all right,' Aerial managed, surfacing from Mimic's arms. She swallowed and blinked heavily.

'What happened then?'

'I don't know...' Aerial was tired and light headed. The room slanted as she stood up, and she staggered. Her elbow still hurt: a dull pain concentrated around a tiny area right on the vein. Mimic caught hold of the girl's arm and called Phoenix to get them out.

Aerial opened her eyes sluggishly with a slight groan. The headache was back, and she was tired like she'd not been since doing an all-night hack when she was still plugged into the Matrix. She stood up, and Tiresias was there, embracing her gently. 'I'm not going to ask you about it now, because I can tell you're dead tired,' he said kindly. 'Just as long as you're okay.'

Aerial returned his hug gratefully, and lurched towards her room. Blackness was lurking at the edges of her vision, and she was practically asleep on her feet. She staggered across to her bunk and was asleep before she hit the blankets.

* * *

Falcon followed the Merovingian to his office, overlooking the château grounds. 'Do you know what my restaurant is called?' asked his employer, seemingly randomly. Falcon shook his head. 

'It iz named "_La Vérité_". I trust you know z' meaning?'

'_The Truth_,' translated Falcon. He had requested to be updated with the French language after his second death as a peregrine falcon, knowing it would help him to be on better terms with the Merovingian. The memory made him flutter his wings in his own sympathy.

'Ironic, don't you sink?' mused the Frenchman. They came to another set of doors, and the Merovingian produced a key. Once again, Falcon heard the molecules of the place shift as the key turned. He followed the Merovingian into the office. It was plain: an ornate desk with a high-backed office chair behind, and two ordinary dining chairs on the other side were the only furniture. As they entered, a slim attractive woman turned around from the window and regarded them coldly.

The Merovingian introduced them, '_Ma chérie_, zis is Falcon. Falcon, zis is my wife, Persephone.'

Falcon nodded respectfully to the striking program, who offered a rare smile to him. The Merovingian crossed the room to the desk and seated himself in the swivel chair, resting his elbows on the armrests and steepling his fingers. He was the spitting image of the stereotypical villain, but as a program, Falcon did not realise this. He sat down on one of the other chairs across the desk. Persephone resumed her gazing out of the window.

'Where to begin? To put it bluntly, I 'ave a mission for you zat I was considering allocating to z' Twins. 'Owever, since you need to prove yourself to me, I 'ave decided to send you.' Falcon nodded. All okay so far. This would undoubtedly cause repercussions between him and the ghosts, but he could take that. The Merovingian leaned forwards again. 'You 'ave 'eard of z' Oracle, no?'

'I have.'

'And you know where to find 'er?'

'That's correct.' Falcon's mind raced. 'You want me to kill her?' he guessed.

'_Sacre bleu_, no!' The Frenchman gave a short incredulous laugh. 'No, I 'ave recently been informed zat she 'as made anozzer prophecy.'

'Concerning the One?'

'You are very rude, are you not?' Falcon detected a note of impatience in the Merovingian's tone and resolved to shut up for a while. The program continued, 'She 'as said zat zere is anozzer wiz z' Sight. A human; a Free human no less, a young man. My spy tells me zat 'e will be joining 'er in a few days time.'

'You want me to get him?' Falcon couldn't help himself.

'Ah, you are correct, at last. _Oui_, and I want 'im alive, understood? 'E would be a great asset to me.'

Falcon nodded, 'All right.'

The Merovingian slid a disc across the table to him. ''Ere. Z' directions are on zere; anysing else, you will ask Cain or Abel. Zey know z' area like a dog knows z' smell of its own piss.'

'All right,' said Falcon again. He stood up and pocketed the disc, wincing as his elbow flared up at the movement. He turned at the door and looked back into the room. Persephone shot him a look, but he couldn't decipher it. He left the room quietly and started back towards the room Tiger had showed him before he went for the merging treatment. Each program had a room to themselves, for appearance's sake mostly. Falcon's room was sparse; a bed in one corner and an empty wardrobe against the opposite wall. He had been provided with three keys: one for the mansion, one for the restaurant, and one for the club.

He was tempted to explore the club, but instead decided to go into standby for a few hours and refresh.

He rounded a corner and almost walked into Persephone coming the other way. He jumped, and apologised profusely, 'I'm so sorry, _madame_, I...'

'That's okay.' Persephone managed to shut him up with a single sentence. Falcon gazed at her. She was just slightly taller than him, which made a change. Her eyes searched his face. 'I am envious of you,' she confessed, 'for you know what it is like to be free.' Falcon couldn't think of an answer. 'Let me touch your wings.' It was more of a command than a request, and Falcon spread his wings compliantly. They just brushed the walls on either side of the corridor. The dark blue feathers shone dimly in the sunlight from the windows lining one side of the passage.

Persephone reached out a slender hand and ran her fingers over the coarse weather-beaten feathers. Falcon shivered at her touch, 'My lady, I must be going now...'

She withdrew her hand, and he closed his wings. Persephone tilted her head and planted a delicate kiss on his cheek in a European farewell. 'See you later, Falcon.'

Falcon flushed crimson and strode hurriedly in the direction of his room.


	5. Confrontation

**5: CONFRONTATION**

**

* * *

**

_Their paths cross amidst bright flowers._

_

* * *

_

In the end, Mimic had to allow Genius to come with them, simply because Phoenix took her aside and made it clear that if he stayed on board, he would be strangled within two hours. Sphere also volunteered to stay, explaining that there were things that desperately needed repairing. The final party was Mimic, Spess, Aerial, Tiresias, Genius and Vriha.

A phone rang six times in the deserted apartment the crew had rigged for their normal entrance to the Matrix. Six images flashed into being. A tall commanding woman dressed in a black PVC trenchcoat and leathers; a handsome Jamaican in a dark shirt and pants wearing a bodywarmer; a petite girl in a pale t-shirt and pants, with a navy-blue trenchcoat; a willowy young man in a dull colourless shirt and pants with a lighter longer jacket; a more sturdy young man in a black t-shirt, pants and jacket; and lastly a slim Pakistani in dull green pants and shirt. All wore shades that hid their eyes.

Mimic strode to the door and opening it, holding it for her crew to exit the building. They trotted down the stairs and out onto the street. Tiresias stumbled once and caught hold of Aerial. A wave of his nervousness hit her, and she allowed him to link her, trying to make some of her bravery flow into her arm. The trouble was that she had very little bravery to spare. Her new skills were frightening her. It was as though she had been living underwater for her whole life and had only recently broken the surface. Each car exhaust was like a gunshot; each piece of litter spiralling around her feet drew her attention.

The crew dived into the intricate web of streets that was the city centre. Mimic led them confidently through the maze, making a beeline towards the straggly line of trees that signalled the park. Spess and Vriha dropped back, Vriha grabbing Genius before he could follow Mimic, Aerial and Tiresias through the cast iron gates. 'We wait here and stand watch,' he said softly. Genius scowled at him and sulked against the gatepost, watching the road despondently. Spess shook his head in disbelief; Vriha smiled.

* * *

Aerial followed Mimic through the park. They walked through an avenue of trees, leaves floating down all around them in the wind. Their boots scrunched on the gravel. Eventually the avenue opened out onto a broad field. The grass was cropped short for the first fifty metres, but then long grass swayed for a further one hundred metres or so. A small copse lay off to the right, and two young boys were kicking a football near a set of goalposts. 

Mimic stopped abruptly and glanced around. Aerial saw her tense very slightly as she walked a few paces forwards and looked around again. The avenue behind them was dark from the shade of the tree canopies, and the light of the road seemed a long way off. Tiresias tightened his grip on Aerial's arm a little. Mimic located her phone and dialled Phoenix. She lowered her voice, but Aerial heard every word from both ends of the phone.

'Phoenix, she's not here.'

'_I know, I know. I'm running a search now. There must be a reason for her not being there._'

'Shall I call Seraph?'

'_Nah, she'll probably turn upoh shit!_'

'What?'

'_Look to your right and see for yourself!_'

Mimic and Aerial turned...

* * *

Crouched in the undergrowth of the tiny scrubby woods, Falcon watched the park. He had been required to hide his wings, so the navy blue trenchcoat was lacking in the slits at the shoulder blades. He felt stifled and enclosed without the freedom of flight. 

His legs were beginning to cramp up when he stiffened, narrowing his eyes. Three humans entered the park, emerging from the corridor of trees. The young man was holding the arm of the girl, barely a woman yet, and the older woman was in front, leading. She stopped suddenly and glanced around. Falcon ducked.

He peered through the ferns and squinted. Instinctively he knew that the young man was his target. It looked as though he was sightless as well. Falcon crushed the word _pity_ that had arisen in his mind and replaced it with _ease_. It would make it easier. Yes.

He chose his moment, when the woman was on the phone, and broke cover, sprinting down the slight slope. She and the other girl looked up immediately, and their eyes locked. Falcon smiled to himself, throwing on another burst of speed. His left hand reached into his coat and drew the Colt from its holster.

The older woman said, 'Get Tiresias out of here, Aerial,' and drew a semi-auto. The girl looked directly at him, and Falcon felt a stab of recognition. He suddenly lost the urge to fill them with bullets and slowed down, right down to a walk. Even as the woman pointed the gun at his head, he smiled disarmingly, 'Good afternoon.'

'What do you want?' demanded the woman. The girl came back towards him, a strange expression on her face. Falcon suddenly realised they were exactly the same height. 'Kid, get the hell out of here. Phone Spess and get them in here. I'm gonna need backup.' The woman was clearly excellent in a position of command.

'Maybe we don't have to fight…' suggested the girl. Falcon's ears perked up at the sound of an accent not dissimilar to his own. He turned his head and looked directly at her, his gold eyes softening from their predatory scowl. The blind man was standing a few feet away, looking a little lost. Falcon smiled again, 'You give me him,' he indicated with his gun, 'and I'll leave you alone.'

'No,' said the girl instantly, scowling. 'Who are you anyway?'

'No one of importance.' Falcon attempted to step forwards but the teen was there, blocking his way.

The other woman sighed exasperatedly, 'Aerial, piss off! Get Tiresias out.'

Aerial retreated, flipping open a phone as she did so. 'Spess? Mimic needs help. Follow the tree avenue straight down, quickly.'

Falcon lost his patience, his demeanour slipping with it, 'I don't have time for this.' He flicked the safety catch.

Aerial grabbed the young man and took off sprinting, along the edge of the field. Falcon started after them, but the woman tackled him to the ground. He lashed out with the butt of his gun, missed, and staggered upright. The woman leapt up, clicked the safety catch off her pistol and fired, strafing to the left, blocking him from following the girl and the young man.

Falcon responded by cartwheeling, his coat spreading like wings, and kicking the gun from the woman's fist. He heard footsteps on gravel at the beginning of the avenue. Panic flashed through his mind, fear of failure, and he made a snap-decision.

He performed a front flip, soared over the human's head, and hit the ground running in pursuit after the two escapees. Bullets zipped past him, and he decided to use his new skills. He split himself and left a copy running straight whilst the real him zigzagged across the path. He clearly heard gasps of amazement and shock from the rebels.

Aerial heard the rest of the team draw breath suddenly, but she didn't dare look back. Tiresias had complete confidence in her and both ran as fast as they could. Aerial had no idea where she was going to go, but she hoped that if she got lost, her pursuer would get lost as well, hopefully faster than she did.

She saw an opening in the hedge with her acute eyesight, and whispered breathlessly, 'When I say go, we're going to take a sharp left, okay?'

'All right.'

'Go!' The two of them dived left, through the hedge, and came into a flower garden. Aerial sprinted to a wooded corner and asked Tiresias to crouch down in the bushes. 'Ring Vriha and get him to get you out. I'm going to distract that guy.'

Tiresias nodded, 'Be careful, Aerial...'

Aerial darted back out and ran across the little lawn. She leapt over a border of thick flowers, scattering bumblebees, and stopped in the centre of the next lawn. The man burst through the same opening as they had entered, and glanced around.

To Aerial's horror, he began striding across directly to where Tiresias was hiding. How could he have seen him in the shrubbery? She placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled, high and sharp. 'Hey!' As the man turned and faced her, she gave him a two-fingered salute with both hands. She saw a smirk crawl across his face, and he extended an arm and pointed the gun directly at her. Aerial tensed, rising onto the balls of her feet.

The man stared at her for a heartbeat, then holstered the gun in a fluid movement and sprinted towards Tiresias.

Falcon dived through the foliage and seized the young man by the arm. To his surprise he struggled violently, wriggling like an eel and calling clearly, 'Aerial!' Falcon grappled with him for a few seconds, then knocked him over the back of the head. He went limp, and Falcon hoisted him easily onto his shoulder. He chanced a glance behind him and just had enough time to duck as the girl came flying through, arms outstretched in a dive. She somersaulted on the soil and stood in a single movement, blocking his way out.

'What have you done to him?' she asked, gasping slightly from the exertion.

'Nothing permanent,' shrugged Falcon. He listened, and, hearing no sounds of immediate pursuit, chanced to ask her the question that had been bothering him. 'Are you a program?'

'No.'

Falcon shook his head slightly, trying to isolate the feeling that kept nagging at him. He had been told it was possible, but he'd never believed it. Up till now. He let the young man - Tiresias wasn't it? – off his shoulder and placed him on the ground behind him. He took a step closer to the young girl. 'Have you ever dreamed of flying?'

'No.' He saw it; a flicker across her features before she answered. She saw he'd seen, and sighed quietly. 'I dreamt once of falling...'

'Into a field?'

'Yes.' She frowned slightly, 'How did you know that?'

Falcon tilted his head as he heard the thud of running feet over grass. He noticed that she listened identically, and they lost the truce. The girl took a long stance as Falcon lifted Tiresias again. He smiled wryly, 'Don't threaten me.'

'Put him down,' intoned the girl. Her hands trembled through anger, and her gaze behind her shades burned with determination.

'Get out of the way,' ordered Falcon, feeling his limited patience slip.

'Over my dead body,' retorted the girl.

Falcon hesitated. The predator in him, the part who actually enjoyed working for the Frenchman, screamed _Kill her! She asked for it!_ His other half, the more watchful aspect of himself, murmured _No, leave her. There's something of you in her; to kill her would be like shattering a mirror_.

He bared his teeth in frustration and hissed, 'This isn't over.'

'Damn right.'

Falcon made his decision. His muscles had been coiled ever since he hade heard sounds of the others, and now he released the strain. With the ripping of fabric, his wings burst from his coat and extended fully, making the bushes shiver. The girl backed away, surprised. He flapped vigorously, knowing he couldn't manage to stay airborne for long with the weight of another person. He rose up, concentrating on his beating wings.

Aerial couldn't let this happen. She ran a few paces forwards and leapt up, focusing as hard as she could to disregard gravity. For the moment at least. She shot upwards, stretching out her arms, and managed to grab hold of the program's boots. She let her fierce concentration go, and gravity gripped all three again. The extra weight was too much for the program's delicate wings, and they began to drop.

Aerial grappled with the program as they fell. His wings flapped wildly, his feet kicking. She concentrated on dodging, and suddenly felt something sweep through her. An expression of shock passed over the program's refined features, and at that moment they broke through the tree branches of the border that ran all the way around the flower garden. Branches tore at her face, but she felt no pain at all. Since she had focused on dodging, the program must have lashed out, for she had lost her grip, but the more frightening thing was that she couldn't see her hands anymore.

She cried out in fear, and her attention slipped. The feeling happened again; something passed through her, and glancing down she could see herself again. The tangle of bodies landed hard on the soil. The angel-like program leapt upright and closed his wings, grabbing hold of the still Tiresias and heaving him onto his shoulders yet again. Aerial staggered upright as well, but before she could do anything, there were suddenly two sets of the program. However only one of the them had Tiresias over his shoulder, so Aerial sprang for that one.

She heard him swear briefly before her kick connected. The second image faded as the program doubled up, Tiresias slipping off his shoulders and rolling over once on the soil. Aerial launched herself over to him and shook him gently, 'Tiresias!' He shifted very slightly and groaned. Aerial shook him again, knowing she had seconds before the bird-program recovered. 'Tiresias, gettup!'

This time he blinked sluggishly, his dark eyes unfocused. But that was normal. He gave a little moan of pain and struggled to sit up, 'What the hell..?'

Aerial grabbed him under the arm and hauled him upright. She heard feet thudding across the lawn just outside the shrubbery and shouted, 'Here! Over here!' She also heard the program recover behind her, and pushed Tiresias into a stumbling run towards the grass.

She heard the program break into a run behind them, considered dodging, and suddenly felt the feeling flow into her again. There was a rush of air, and a sharp intake of breath. Impossibly, the program's mad lunge for them had missed; he was now rolling out of the dive _in front of them_. Simultaneously, Tiresias had slipped as though her arms weren't supporting him, and as her attention went back to him he recovered, as though her arms had suddenly reappeared.

A spray of bullets burst through the shrubbery, and Spess sprinted heavily across the grass, Genius in tow. The program looked around him, sensing he was outnumbered. He glared at Aerial, and she flinched from his sharp stare. 'We will meet again.' He took off sprinting, his trenchcoat flapping behind him. Spess emptied another clip at him, but he spilt himself again and the bullets missed.

Aerial stared after him, and watched as he took flight and soared towards the clouds. Vriha appeared at her side and asked breathlessly, 'Are you all right?'

'We got here as fast as we could,' supplemented Genius, his eyes flashing with concern.

'Yeah,' she replied absently, 'I'm fine.' She shook herself as Tiresias lifted his weight and swayed unsteadily on his feet. She grabbed his shoulder. 'I think we should jack out,' she said.

Vriha flipped open his phone and contacted Phoenix as Mimic emerged from the hedges. 'Are we getting out?'

'Yep. Phoenix is ready – phone box on the corner of Moss Road.'

Mimic shook her head, 'We still haven't found her.'

'Look – Aerial and Tiresias are shattered,' said Spess firmly. 'We should get out and recharge a little. She'll contact us again with a safer spot, where that bird thing can't get us so quickly. He looked a lot like you, Aerial,' he added, turning his dark eyes on her. 'Same height, build and everything.' Aerial avoided his eyes, and realised that the rest of them were looking at her too.

Thankfully Tiresias broke the uncomfortable silence. 'My head hurts…'


	6. Testing

**6: TESTING**

**

* * *

**

_The deeper, darker side is explained to him. _

_

* * *

_

Aerial opened her eyes and sighed deeply. Phoenix was scurrying around the array removing the jacks from the crew as each woke up. She sat up slowly and massaged the back of her neck with her hand. Through the curtain of her hair she caught a glimpse of Tiresias lying very still in his seat, probably in a state of slight shock. She swung her legs off the chair and touched his arm. 'Are you all right?'

The young man jumped under her touch, then smiled faintly at the sound of her voice. 'Yeah, thanks… God, that was scary.'

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. 'It's not over yet,' Aerial reminded him.

'Don't I know it,' he replied wryly.

Mimic approached them and said quietly, 'We need to get back in as soon as possible. Just you two, Sphere and me this time.'

'Why aren't Spess and Vriha coming?' asked Aerial. It was obvious why Genius was remaining.

'Phoenix says he had a close call with a gang of squiddies. I want gunners ready just in case. Are you two okay? I mean, it was pretty stressful in there.'

'We'll be all right,' said Tiresias, smiling.

'Good. Take a couple of hours break and I'll get Genius to call you when we're going in again.' Mimic disappeared, possibly to inform Zion of the disturbances.

'Hey, Birdy.' Aerial shot a disparaging look at Phoenix, who hesitated. Her nickname had suddenly become sensitive, and she didn't want to talk about it, not with Phoenix at least. 'Birdy yourself,' she returned.

'Sorry, _cherie_,' said Phoenix, sounding a little wounded. 'I was just going to ask you what was happening in there. You kept... phasing out, for want of a better phrase.'

'Yeah, I've been wondering about that,' mused Aerial. 'Falcon could do it too.'

'Falcon?'

Aerial was forced to think fast, 'The program. Those wing things remind me of some kind of falcon, that's all.' Privately she was astounded. She was sure that "Falcon" was his name, but how could she have known that?

'Hey, if you fancy hopping into the dojo again...'

'All right, all right. I'm beginning to feel like a freak,' complained Aerial as she turned back and threw herself into her chair.

Phoenix tapped away at his keyboard as Tiresias slid the jack in for the fourth time that day.

* * *

Aerial stretched in the dojo and called to the empty air, 'So what do you want me to do?' 

'Just try to do it again,' came the Operator's voice, echoing through the room. Aerial looked into herself. When it had happened before, she had been under fire. So maybe if she dodged... She darted to the left, with no result. Then she recalled that she had been concentrating. She closed her eyes for a moment and brought her focus to a razor edge, and leapt to the right this time.

Something rushed through her again, and she knew it had worked. She isolated the feeling and held it, sustaining the invisibility. Phoenix laughed in amazement, 'Oh wow!'

Aerial let it go and returned to normality, the feeling gushing over her again. 'Did it work?'

'Hell yes! Your code went all weird – I'll have to learn that one. Invisibility, huh? So, can you do anysing else?'

Phoenix's accent had slipped back, which told Aerial that he was genuinely excited. She grinned. 'Well, that program could split himself...'

'Oh, do zat!'

'Bare with me a sec, I've not tried this...' Aerial's tiredness was flowing out of her and a giddy rush replacing it. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. She found the sensation of performing a star-jump and twitched her head as she imagined it. There was another rush through her body, similar to when she became invisible, and she had the strangest feeling of déjà-vu. Alarmed, she called out, 'Phoenix, I'm getting '

'You did it! You did it!' cried the Operator. '_Sacre bleu_, you did it! WOW!'

Aerial looked around and laughed out loud. Standing next to her staring straight ahead was an identical copy of herself. If she utilised her new vision, she found she could actually see through it. She waved her hand in front of the copy's eyes to no response. 'Temporary copy.' She relaxed and the image vanished.

Aerial decided to try and mimic what Falcon had done earlier. She began to run, and split herself. The copy ran also, whilst she zigzagged across its path. 'Oh yes!' she cried in jubilation, punching the air. She was so elated with her own success that she put on a burst of speed and performed what she liked to think of as her signature move.

* * *

Aerial had not always been known as Aerial. In fact, when she was freed, her alias was Echo. However, there had been no fewer than seven other Echo's in Zion at that time, so she had decided to change her name. She had been thinking on her new alias when Mimic had taken her through the training, and especially the jump program. 

No one ever makes the first jump – Echo was no exception. As she fell however, the rushing air rippled her sleeves into wings, and although she smacked down hard onto the tarmac, she was smiling at the time.

Echo became obsessed with the jump program, persuading Phoenix to let her try again and again to make the jump. Although her numerous falls seemed to have no consequence, Echo was in fact trying to sense the gravity. Eventually, she threw herself from the skyscraper, and with an immense effort, managed to hold herself in the air for about two seconds before dropping yet again.

Mimic was impatient to see her progress, and demanded she try and make the jump again. Obediently, Echo leapt from the one skyscraper and managed to grab hold of the second, for her jump had not quite carried her across. Eager to show off, she let herself drop like a hawk drops to its prey. Throwing her arms wide, she used her mind to pull up before the tarmac swelled up to meet her… and promptly crashed into a pile of dustbins.

This episode gave her two things: a knock to her ego, and her new alias. What better name for someone obsessed with flight than _Aerial_?

* * *

So her signature move had become a stylised version of The Drop which had made the crew laugh so much. Aerial streaked to the wall and did a wall-run, pushing off and spreading her arms like wings, defying gravity to glide through the air on her back. She performed a straight flip, her body rigid as a pencil, and dropped straight down to the matting, dust and chips of wood clouding up her legs from the dents her feet had made. 

Phoenix's voice came again, 'You done practicing yet, Birdy?'

'Yup. Get me out.'

Tiresias removed the jack on Phoenix's command, and Aerial awoke once more in the chair. She was developing another headache. 'Woo, that was fun,' she commented, massaging her forehead with one hand.

Phoenix scrambled out of his chair and ruffled her hair. 'Get some rest, _cherie_. I'm sorry for dragging you back in, but aren't you glad I did?' Aerial nodded and smiled, heading towards the ladder and a short sleep.

* * *

Falcon stood before his employer's desk, hands clasped behind his back and his wings folded. He stared resolutely at the polished wood of the desk. The Merovingian had been much less than pleased when Falcon had returned empty handed, and the bird was ready for a beating. 

The Frenchman treated Falcon to a unsympathetic stare for a good few minutes until the program shifted nervously and offered, _'Je suis très désolé, monsieur.'_

'Do not sink zat apologising in a different language will make it any better, Falcon.'

'Sorry, sir.'

'As you can imagine, I am very disappointed wiz you. It seems I overestimated you. In fact I know I did; it was an experiment.'

'That's all I am, isn't it?' blurted Falcon. 'An experiment.'

'_Fermez la bouche,_' commanded the Merovingian. Falcon complied. The Merovingian leered at him, 'Maybe I should give you anozzer chance. Such abilities are too good to waste. Yes, zis time, I will be sending you with accompaniment.'

Falcon raised his head and saw the look in his employer's eyes. 'Oh no...'

'Your companions will be z' Twins. Zey need to get out of z' 'ouse,' he added

Falcon rolled his eyes, 'Does it have to be them?'

'Are you _arguing_ wiz me, Falcon?' The Merovingian raised an eyebrow.

'... No, sir.'

'Good. Now run along. I will send for you when it iz time.'

Falcon fairly scuttled out of the office.

* * *

He took out a portion of his anger by kicking the wall at regular intervals all the way down the corridor. He was forced to stop this when a paperweight in the shape of the Empire State Building narrowly missed his shoulder and an extremely testy accent called, 'Stop zat, or I will not send for you at all!' 

Grumbling to himself, Falcon stalked back to his room, his wings flaring in agitation. He was so worked up he walked into another of the Merovingian's cronies, who made a noise very much like a growl. Falcon apologised as the werewolf gave him an evil look and loped away.

Falcon crashed onto his bed and flared his wings beneath him, trying to plan on how to ditch the Twins. So absorbed was he in his plottings, that he didn't noticed Persephone glide into the room. He jerked upright, wings spread, as she sat down on the other end of the bed. The long feathers at the tip of his right wing brushed her body.

'Hello Falcon.'

'Um, hi.' Falcon shifted again.

'I have been waiting to be alone with you for a long while, ever since you came here.' Falcon raised his eyes and met Persephone's gaze. The program smiled at him, somewhat sadly. 'I have said it before, but I am so jealous of you.'

'Yeah, well, I'm not that free now, am I?' Falcon held up his left hand and showed her the thick silver ring on his middle finger.

Persephone seemed a little disappointed. 'Oh, he did employ you?' Her gaze returned to the carpet.

'Yes, and now I have to put up with the Twins for my next mission.'

'Ah, you are going after the next Oracle?' Persephone looked at him again. 'This has been a pursuit of my husband's for many years now. He has tried so many times to find the other one, but every time he has failed.'

'There's always been two Oracles?' Falcon was interested now.

'Of course. For every program, there is an equal and opposite human, the basis of that program's shell. It becomes much more complicated as Zion is terminated and the Matrix reloaded. Programs like wildlife are easy enough – they are deleted and new ones created based on a randomly selected human. With those who escape deletion, the relevant human dies off eventually, but the program still runs. Do you follow?'

Falcon nodded. Persephone went on, like a child telling a secret, 'For the System to run smoothly, there must always be a twin human. Programs that still have purpose and were not rebooted are allocated another randomly selected human, not necessarily resembling the original program.'

'The Oracle is never deleted?'

Persephone nodded. Falcon continued, 'So with every reboot, another human is selected to have the Sight?' Another nod. 'And he's found her at last?'

'He thinks he has. But he has thought so many times before. I'll show you.' Persephone rose and went to the door. Fascinated, Falcon followed. Persephone stopped him near the door with a hand on his chest. 'Normally, I would charge a fee for something like this. But since you have nothing I want, I do not see the point. However, I will show you only if you promise to pay me back at some point.' She didn't leave him a chance to agree or decline, but strutted away. Falcon strode after her.

Persephone led him to the library, where the werewolf he had knocked into earlier was sitting watching some kind of cheesy horror film. The man started up as they entered, but relaxed immediately when he recognised Persephone. His gaze shifted to Falcon, and he bridled. ''S all right, Abel, he's with me,' said Persephone heavily, as though she had said it many times before.

She crossed the room and tugged on a book. There was a dull click, and a bookshelf rotated on a central axis to form an entrance. Falcon snickered, 'Corny.'

'Indeed,' agreed Persephone. Falcon was in awe of the amount of bitterness she managed to cram into the single word.

He followed her down into the lower levels, which were seemingly devoted to wine. Falcon looked around, puzzled. 'The humans got turned into wine?'

Persephone smiled, 'No. Please, follow me.' She negotiated a thick pillar, led him around a circular torture pit, and through a low archway.

Immediately, there was the sound of multiple gasps from the second level. Falcon stared around. A number of cells lined the walls, each holding a single male prisoner. Persephone gestured, and Falcon made his way along the corridor. His breath froze in his lungs as someone called out weakly.

'_My eyes... my eyes... They took my eyes!_'

'Holy shit...' breathed Falcon. At least three quarters of the prisoners were blind; their eyes neatly extracted leaving two irregular circles of badly healed scar tissue. 'Why the eyes?' he asked, turning back to Persephone.

'The code for the Sight is within the eyes. If the owner will not cooperate, my husband removes the eyes and extracts the code for himself. That is to say, he _would, _if he would get his arse in gear and actually bother to find the right one.'

'Why so many?'

'Any human who inadvertently mentions the fact that he could "see what was coming next" or a similar metaphor, within my husband's spies' range, is targeted. Why male?' Falcon closed his mouth and nodded. Persephone explained, 'The program is always the opposite sex to the human template. I do not know why, it is just something that is done.'

Falcon shivered. 'The target human this time is blind already,' he mused aloud.

Persephone raised her eyebrows, 'Really? This time he might be onto something. Well, I suppose we had better get back. My husband will be wanting you soon.'

Falcon tore his gaze away from the prisoners and followed Persephone back up to the library. His mind was turning over the bulk of information he had just received. In particular, the image of the young girl who had caught him as he flew kept returning to his brain. _Always the opposite sex…_

The werewolf had vacated the couch, leaving the film running. The credits scrolled lazily upwards on the flat-screen. Persephone sat down and brought the menu back up on the DVD. Falcon was about to exit the room when she called, 'Remember Falcon, you owe me for that.'

Falcon nodded and left. Persephone sighed pensively and began channel-hopping through the security cameras.

* * *

A/N: There's an error in this chapter that I decided to leave in. Spot it, and you get an Oracle-cookie. 


	7. The Sight

**

* * *

**

7: THE SIGHT IS UNLOCKED

* * *

_All is explained to her._

* * *

Some hours and another close call with Sentinels later, Mimic, Tiresias, Aerial and Sphere jacked back into the Matrix. The others garbed themselves exactly the same as before, and Sphere wore pale blue pants, tight T-shirt, boots and a jacket.

Sphere stretched, 'God, it really is cramped on board, isn't it? I haven't stretched like this since last time I jacked in.'

'Let's go,' said Mimic impatiently. 'The car's outside. I want a head start on any programs coming our way.' Tiresias caught hold of Aerial's arm and the group made their way downstairs.

The car journey passed without incident, although Aerial was feeling a little travel sick when they stopped. Sphere had been ready to ride shotgun if needed, but there had been no sign of any hostility, or a call from Phoenix. Mimic stopped the car a couple of streets away from the apartment block and they walked the rest of the way, Sphere gaining a wolf-whistle from a group of teenage boys who dispersed giggling when she looked their way.

The blind man seated on a battered bench nodded to Mimic as they passed. Aerial stared at him all the way to the elevator until Sphere twisted her head back around with one hand. Mimic pressed the button to call the elevator, and they boarded. The doors slid jerkily closed and the lift gave a lurch. Aerial nearly lost her balance, but Tiresias held her upright with a smile, 'Steady...'

There was a clunk, and the bottom dropped out of Aerial's stomach as the lift came to a sudden stop. Sphere's two handguns were in her grip in seconds. No one moved; all that could be heard was the unrelenting hum of the dull strip-light in the ceiling. Mimic swore. 'Bollocks.'

'My thoughts exactly,' muttered Aerial.

'What happened?'

'The lift's conked out.'

'Bollocks,' agreed Tiresias.

Mimic pressed the emergency button, but only static crackled over the intercom. 'Brilliant,' she murmured darkly.

'I'll see if I can get to the hardwires,' offered Aerial. Mimic nodded and moved away from the control panel. Aerial improvised a screwdriver with her nails and removed the access panel. The jumble of ancient wires sparked at her. Gingerly, she reached in and managed to touch two ends together. Nothing. She tried again, and the electronic number display went blank, and reset itself to **G**. 'Damn...'

She tried three more sets of wires without result. 'I think it must be the cables,' she concluded. Sphere knocked out a roof panel and climbed out. 'Oh, God! There's rats everywhere!' she called, her voice strangely echoing in the shaft.

'Just fix it, Sphere,' ordered Mimic.

'As you command...' They could hear Sphere poking around with the pulley, and then her cry of 'Aha!'. Presently there was another clunk, and the lift resumed trundling upwards. Sphere dropped back through the roof, a piece of rusty metal in her hand. 'It was jammed in the pulley,' she explained. 'Must have fallen off something else.'

'Let's hope _that_ wasn't important,' said Mimic testily. 'Does anyone know which floor we're on?'

Aerial glanced above the door, 'Tw-- Oh shit, I reset the display!'

'Exactly.' Mimic flashed a disapproving look at Aerial. There was an uncomfortable silence, where Aerial hung her head and Mimic tried to mentally calculate the journey time.

'Stop it now,' said Tiresias suddenly. Sphere reached for the button, and the doors squeaked open to reveal a corridor.

'How did you know that?' asked Sphere, bewildered.

Tiresias shrugged. 'I just had a feeling.'

'A lucky feeling,' added Mimic, stepping out. 'Come on.'

It was a short trip down the corridor to the Oracle's apartment. They stopped outside the door, Mimic and Sphere standing behind Tiresias and Aerial. 'Shall I knock?' whispered Aerial.

'She knows we're here,' said Mimic.

As she spoke, the door was opened by a tall slim young woman, who greeted them with a smile. 'Aerial, Tiresias, Mimic, Sphere. Glad you could make it. Please, all of you, step inside.' Tiresias grabbed Aerial's arm again as they entered the apartment. The attendant showed Mimic and Sphere to a couple of seats in the hallway and directed Aerial and Tiresias through into the lounge.

There were seven children in the sitting room, two boys and five girls. One little Chinese girl was lying on her front doing calligraphy on some rice paper, watched from the sofa by a Chinese man, dressed in white mandarin jacket with a black vest. He stirred every so often, only to correct a stroke.

Three of the other four girls - one Caucasian with long, wavy, blonde hair, one African with pigtails, and one mixed race with long hair in one high ponytail - all watched a small television on which played a Disney animation. All of the girls wore what appeared to be school uniform. The two boys played chess in a corner, one Caucasian with a shaved head and plain robes, the other Japanese, also with his head shaved and flame coloured robes. The last girl, older than the rest and also Japanese, worked a laptop at the dining table.

The moment Aerial realised that the film was Alice in Wonderland was the moment the attendant called, 'Tiresias, the Oracle will see you now.'

Tiresias stood up uncertainly. Immediately, the little Japanese boy rose from his seat on the floor and took Tiresias' hand. He led him to the kitchen, and Aerial heard, 'Thank you, Akio.' Then something happened, like a bubble rising from a pool of water, and she couldn't hear sounds from the kitchen anymore.

Akio returned in silence and resumed his chess game. "The White Rabbit!" squeaked Alice from the television. Aerial was forcibly reminded of her own encounters with the rabbit hole, and was lost to her memories for a few moments.

She surfaced to the realisation that the mixed race child had asked her a question. 'Huh?'

'I said: Are you Aerial?'

'Yeah. What's your name?'

'I am Brigit. The girl with the pigtails is Sophia and the other one is Rhiannon.' She pointed. Her finger turned to the Chinese girl. 'She is called Kuan-Lin, and he is Seraph.' The girl with the laptop received the finger, 'She is called Kaede. The two boys are Akio and Luke.'

Brigit tugged on her hand, and Aerial sat down on the floor beside the little girl. 'Why are you here?' she asked, her soft dark eyes concentrating on Aerial.

'Because I was told to come.'

The other three girls crawled over and sat in a semi-circle around her. Sophia voiced a question, her speech careful with thought, 'Your code is strange. Like a mix of gold and green.'

'Really?' Aerial decided to test them. 'Does it change when I do this?' She concentrated and faded from view. The children did not flinch or show shock, but the Chinese man focused on her, his body tense. She could not decipher his look behind his sunglasses.

'Yes, it goes more gold,' replied Sophia. Kuan-Lin left her calligraphy and joined them as Aerial reverted to normality again, adding, 'I could see you. You became all green and see-through.' Rhiannon and Sophia nodded in agreement. Kaede exited the room quietly.

'How are you able to do that?' asked Seraph. Aerial instantly liked his soft speech.

'I'm not sure. No one's really explained it to me. My Captain thinks it's because of my "twin program", and to be honest, I think I believe her.'

Seraph studied her and shook his head slowly. 'You do not look like them.'

'They scare me...' shivered Kuan-Lin. The other four nodded fearfully.

'Stalemate.'

The two boys shook hands across the chess board and came over as well, Akio seating himself cross-legged on the settee beside Seraph. 'Who's "they"?' enquired Aerial.

'The Twins,' said Luke, his blue eyes wide. 'They came only once, and they were like wildcats watching baby rabbits.' Aerial took a moment to marvel at the boy's vocabulary and verbal skill. She was aware of Kaede slipping back into the room, Tiresias in tow. He sat at the table with Kaede and put his head in his hands.

She shook her head, 'No, my program is called Falcon. He's an angel. Well, sort of.' Again, Seraph studied her, his gaze making her flinch.

'He has wings?'

'Yes.'

'Where is he now?'

'I don't know. He tried to kidnap my friend, but we outnumbered him, seven to one.'

Seraph opened his mouth to speak further, but the priestess came back into the room. 'Aerial, come with me, please.'

Aerial stood and followed the woman through the hall and into the kitchen. A warm sweet smell entered her nostrils and she breathed deeply. A little rational voice at the back of her brain snickered nastily, _Those biscuits don't exist you know._

'Hello Aerial.'

Aerial shifted her gaze and saw the object of so many rumours around Zion, the Oracle herself.

Frankly, she was unimpressed. 'You're the Oracle?'

'Yep. I know you find it hard to accept, but don't worry about it right now. So...' She sat down at the table and met Aerial's gaze. 'Are you ready for some heavy stuff?'

'Why ask, if you already know what I'm going to say?'

The Oracle smiled slightly, 'It would be a very dull conversation if I did that, wouldn't it? But since you agree, and you think you _are_ ready for what I'm about to tell you, I'll just keep goin'.'

Aerial waited in silence.

The Oracle continued, 'The scheme of twining programs is everywhere. For a long time, we have wondered where the human Oracle was, and now, we have found him.'

'Tiresias is that Oracle?'

'Bingo. The Exile known as Falcon is the same for you. However,' the Oracle's gaze turned on her. 'Your connection is much deeper than the template function normally allocated to this type of link.'

Intrigued, Aerial took a seat opposite, inadvertently mimicking Falcon. The Oracle sighed, 'To put it bluntly, kiddo, you are well on your way to becoming Merged.'

'What?'

'I told you it was heavy stuff. The files that make up Falcon and you are becoming shared all the time. When the Unique Identifier is merged, you will effectively die. Both of you will be blended together, like Hermaphroditus and Salmacis.'

Aerial, unfamiliar with Greek mythology, tilted her head in confusion. 'If you had visited the Merovingian, you could have seen an example of it for yourself,' the Oracle said wistfully. 'Poor Tiger…'

'Who?'

'Never mind. Fundamentally, your only way to stop this is to have the shared codes corrupted or removed. You received two sets of shared files, yes?'

'Yeah... I could see and hear stuff clearer, and then I could split myself and go invisible.' The implications of this were making Aerial's head spin.

'All right, roll up your sleeve.'

'Huh?' Aerial complied, slipping out of her jacket. The Oracle stood up and went to a cabinet, taking down a bright green case. She returned with what looked like an ordinary first aid kit. She opened the container, and rummaged around inside. The lid was upturned facing Aerial, and she couldn't see what the Oracle was doing.

'If we can successfully corrupt at least one of those files, you'll be okay. This won't be pleasant, sweetie.'

'What are you going to do?' asked Aerial worriedly.

'The only thing I can do. I'm giving you a virus.'

'_What?!_'

'Don't panic. It's nothing too serious.' The Oracle emerged from the case holding a small syringe. Aerial drew away. The Oracle smiled faintly again, 'Ah, you're afraid of needles.'

'Just... be quick.' Aerial shut her eyes and looked away. She felt the Oracle's warm touch on her forearm, and then there was another concentrated area of pain at her elbow, not dissimilar to the pain she had experienced in the dojo. She felt light-headed. 'Shiiiit...'

'There. All done.' The Oracle withdrew the needle, and Aerial withdrew her arm. 'You were very brave, honey. I can see that took a lot out of you, but I'm afraid it'll get worse before it gets better.'

Aerial opened her eyes and clutched her elbow. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, you have a virus now.' The Oracle returned the kit to its cupboard and shut the door with a small click. 'You'll be feeling well again in about three days or so. Here, take a cookie.' She offered Aerial a glass plate. Aerial pressed her arm to her side and used her good hand to select the smallest one. The Oracle treated her to a full smile, 'Now, we'd better see about unlocking Tiresias' potential.'

Aerial followed the Oracle back through to the living room. The old woman clapped her hands twice, 'Okay kids, I'm gonna need your help here.' The assorted children all stood up and gathered around her. All except Kaede, who still worked her laptop. Seraph studied Kuan-Lin's writing absorbedly, as though this was nothing of interest.

'Tiresias, would you come over here, please?' Again, the little Japanese boy Akio went to him and caught his hand, leading him over. Aerial stood behind them awkwardly; Tiresias knelt to reduce his height.

'Right. I want you all to put your hands over his eyes.' Tiresias was surrounded by six pairs of helping hands; the children divided themselves equally, three to each side of his face. 'Now concentrate. You know what to do.'

The Oracle stood back as six pairs of eyes flickered closed. Aerial concentrated as well, and saw a faint aura flowing up the skinny arms and onto her friend's face. She felt sweat forming on her brow.

As one entity, the Potentials lifted their hands. Tiresias shuddered and wobbled slightly. Akio caught his arm again and steadied him. Tiresias opened his eyes. 'Should… should anything have happened?' he asked hesitantly.

'No,' answered Akio, 'You are unlocked now. You will be able to see the choices, if they show themselves to you.'

Aerial realised the other children were staring at him. 'You spoke…' said Brigit, wonder in her voice. 'You've never done that before.'

'It looks like you've unlocked him as well, Tiresias,' whispered Kuan-Lin.

Akio turned his gaze on all of them, lingered on Aerial for a few seconds more, then turned around and sat beside Seraph again. He picked up a book from the coffee table and immersed himself in it.

* * *

**A/N::** Shameless stealing of the _anti-social-Potential_ idea from **Dark** **Puck**'s '_Legacy_'– I'm sorry! Read it, it's much better than mine. Go.  
Major plot twist coming up. Be warned...


	8. Capture

**

* * *

**

8: CAPTURE

* * *

_He takes her to where doors are uncertain.  
  
_

* * *

Tiresias had decided to remain at the Oracle's overnight, whilst he accustomed himself to his abilities. Seraph seemed agitated about something, and insisted on escorting them back to the car. Aerial could not stop watching him. Outside it was dusk. The traffic in the street had lessened to only intermittent cars flying past. The Oracle's cookie turned acidy in her mouth, and she only managed to eat half of it, before...

'Hey, wait! Aerial's not well!'

Sphere stopped and backtracked, resting a hand on Aerial's back as she vomited against the wall. She panted a little, feeling her stomach settle down. 'Uunh…' She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and closed her eyes.

'Come here…' Sphere twisted her around and felt her forehead, 'Jeez, you're boiling up.' She flipped out a phone and pressed the speed dial.

'_Operator_.'

'Phoenix? Is there anywhere you can drop me some aspirin?'

'_Erm... No, not nearby. Is Aerial okay? Tell her she's sicked up all over herself in reality._'

'Thanks, Phoenix,' muttered Aerial, having heard the conversation with her acute hearing. Sphere hung up. Mimic had come back as well and was standing nearby. Seraph continued his watchful gazing of the street. Suddenly his head stopped swivelling and locked onto a dark car speeding down the road towards them.

'Captain Mimic. We need to move swiftly.'

'What?' Mimic joined him, and the program pointed. 'Oh shit.' She turned back, 'Sphere, we have to get to the car now. I think we've got company.' Sphere looked up as well and swore. 'Are you okay to run, kid?' demanded Mimic. Aerial nodded, breathing deeply. She felt freezing cold.

------

The Twins were not having much fun. They sat, One driving, Two staring, whilst the bird program sulked in the back. The ghosts really did not see the point in Fake Angels. Why did the birds get to keep their wings and the gift of flight, when other programs such as flies did not? At least they did not have to hear that detestable American accent; that was one blessing of working with a bird. Two made a mental note to encourage the Frenchman to employ more Englishmen.

'There they are,' said the bird. 'The freebies.'

'We know,' replied Two testily. 'We saw them before you did.'

'Hey, remember whose eyesight you've got there, spook.'

' "Hey",' mimicked One. 'Turning American, are you?'

'Sod off.' _Ah, another soft spot_, noted the ghosts. Strange how similar the two programs were: the same proud streak, the same thread of patriotism, the same arrogance. 'Get ready,' warned One, as Two followed the thought and loaded his gun. The bird unclipped his seatbelt and shuffled over to the side door.

'I hate American cars.'

'We agree.'

'Did we just agree on something?' The bird's voice held a tone of mock surprise.

'We believe so. You are irritating us now.' The Twins did not like being exploited. Especially not for the bird's purposes. One put his foot down, and gunned forwards. As they swooped past the band of rebels, Two fired a burst from the machine gun through the sunroof.

'Ah shit!' cursed the bird, swivelling his head and staring out of the rear window. 'We missed him!'

'You are joking.'

Two swivelled and faced him. 'Don't tell us you failed again?'

'How is this my fault?' the bird shot back. 'The last communication the Merovingian received, he was with them!'

One sighed heavily. 'Now what?'

'Well...' The bird sank into the thought for three seconds exactly. One pulled the car into a U-turn and paused. Two saw the bird's face split into a grin. 'The girl may be of interest to him…'

'What do you mean?'

'She can do exactly what I can do.'

'You are joking,' repeated One.

'What do you think I am? Human?' The bird scowled at One. 'If we get her instead, maybe he'll like me more,' he added in an undertone.

One and Two leered. One floored the accelerator again, but twisted the wheel sharply as they bumped onto the pavement. The car swerved out into the middle of the road again, narrowly missing a lamppost. There was a _thunk_ sound and a curse as the bird hit his head on something. 'It's Wingless,' informed Two.

'What is he doing here?'

'We don't know.' Two turned around to the bird again. 'You'll have to distract him.'

'Me? Why me?'

'It will be a chance to prove yourself. Not many have defeated Wingless in combat,' added One, eyeing the bird in the rear-view mirror.

'Jesus… All right, I'll go. You two get Aerial.'

'Who?'

'The girl!'

'You know her name?' Two smirked again.

'Shut it!'

------

'Move!'

Mimic led her band onwards as the car behind them revved up again. Seraph dropped to the back of the group, ready to protect them if needed. The car swooped past again, and something shot from the back door in a blur of navy. It barrelled into the group, knocking Aerial to the floor. Sphere stood over her and kicked the thing hard. Aerial struggled up and saw Falcon reeling from the blow.

The car had stopped in front of them, straddling the pavement, and the albino twins stalked towards them. Aerial swallowed, then winced at the acidy taste in her mouth. 'How far away is the car, Mim?' she asked.

'Two more blocks.' Mimic drew her guns, and Sphere did the same. Falcon recovered and launched himself at Aerial again. Sphere kicked him again and fired. The program phased, becoming green and incorporeal, and the bullets passed through harmlessly. Sphere shouted in surprise, and Falcon took the opportunity to kick her back. Sphere crumpled, doubled over.

Mimic had her hands full trying to keep the Twins away from Aerial. Their razors flashed, and Mimic went down clutching her face. Aerial could see bright blood in between her fingers. Seraph leapt in front of her and beat Falcon into submission with a lightening quick combo that sent him sprawling. Aerial started as a ghostly pale hand seized her shoulder, but Sphere attacked from the side. The ghost phased again, and Aerial slipped out from under his insubstantial grasp.

Seraph snatched her away and twisted her behind him. One of the Twins looked at Falcon pointedly. The bird hauled himself up, spitting a sticky globule of crimson onto the tarmac, and launched himself at Seraph. Her Chinese bodyguard deftly dealt with the inexperienced program for about two minutes, then Falcon appeared to get a grip on himself. He flashed into duplicate and attacked Seraph from two sides.

Sphere threw herself at the first Twin, but was easily repelled and crouched against the wall, feigning submission and bleeding from several slices and cuts. As soon as the albino's back was turned, she poured the last of her bullets at him. Once again he flashed incorporeal, and Sphere moaned a curse.

Her bullets had ripped into Seraph instead.

The program jerked with each hit, blood spattering the pavement and Aerial. Mimic was still down, bleeding profusely. Seraph faltered, fighting to gain control of his codes. His programmed body was not designed to take this kind of battering, and in that split second of hesitation, the Twins struck.

One of them grabbed Aerial. She kicked and struggled, tearing at his hands, but he held grimly. His brother stalked up and clubbed her over the back of the head with his switchblade handle. Aerial slumped as darkness took her. Falcon deleted his copy and was immediately hard pressed to deal with an enraged Sphere attacking him furiously. Unfortunately, her rage and panic restrained her skills, and even Falcon was able to fend her off. He leapt and performed a two footed kick, sending the rebel sailing into the brick wall. He dusted his hands off and hopped in the back seat of the SUV. The car roared off into the night, leaving the two injured rebels and a dying program alone in the street.

------


	9. Parallel

**

* * *

**

9: PARALLEL

* * *

_The wingless one flies again._

* * *

A steady stream of cursing issued from Phoenix's lips as she worked the array. 'Shit shit shit…' 

Spess, Vriha and Genius watched anxiously. 'What's going on?' asked Vriha, the only one aboard whose Matrix-code was not up to scratch.

'They're being attacked by the Twins and that bird thing again,' replied Spess, his voice terse. His eyes darted back and forth as he decoded the encryption from the endless streams of green light.

'Mimic's down,' announced Phoenix grimly. As she spoke, Mimic's still form spasmed and blood spluttered down her front.

'Is she okay?' asked Spess.

'Pretty badly sliced up.' Phoenix leaned around and observed her monitor. 'Heart's going fine though. She'll live.'

Genius pointed suddenly, 'They've got Aerial!'

'Oh… _fuck_…' Spess' whispered exclamation summed up the crew's sentiments perfectly as the Twins dragged the unconscious Aerial towards the car.

'Sphere down…' Sphere's body jerked in the restraints. Vriha bit his lower lip.

A beeping alarm, _the _dreaded beeping alarm, made them jump. A red light flashed: PROXIMITY WARNING.

'Shit…' Spess took off towards the cabin, Vriha in pursuit. Genius diverted and made for the forward gun turret.

Spess' voice came through from the comm, 'There're two of them doing a routine sweep, coming from our front. I'm amazed they haven't seen us. We can't blow the EMP, so we'll have to take 'em down the hard way. Phoenix, stay there and grab a plasma rifle, just in case.' In a couple of minutes, Spess and Vriha came flying back, leaping to the ladder and taking opposing turrets. Genius was ready and scanning the red screen for a target.

In a few crazy minutes of hailing bullets, it was all over. The Sentinels had not been expecting resistance and were consequently taken by surprise. Phoenix exhaled a long sigh of relief and stowed the gun away under the array. Her attentions turned back to the Matrix and the two prone bodies lying within it. She dialled Mimic's phone and waited.

------

The streetlight shed an electric glow over Sphere as she spat blood and dragged herself onto all fours. Pain shot up and down her spine, and looking behind she could see the cracks in the brickwork where the bird program had kicked her into the wall. She accustomed herself to the pain she suspected would linger for a good few hours, then crawled over to Mimic and rolled her over.

'Mim! Mimic, can you hear me?'

Her Captain writhed and groaned in agony, but she was alive. Sphere swept a trained eye over her sliced up body, and was relieved to find none of the slashes were particularly serious. She would be out of the next mission, though. 'Come on; let's go home.'

'Where's Aerial?' managed Mimic, spitting mucus and blood onto the pavement.

'They got her,' said Sphere simply, a wave of hatred against the albinos sweeping over her. She grabbed Mimic under the arm and hauled her upright. 'Oh no...'

Her gaze fell on the form of Seraph, lying face down. Simultaneously, Mimic's phone rang, shattering the disbelieving silence. Mimic thrust a blood-stained hand into her jacket and answered it. 'Yeah?'

'_Mimic, are you all right?_'

'I'll live. What about Seraph?'

'_Mim, if you can get him to the Oracle's _now_, he might be okay. It looks as though he's programmed himself into limbo – he can't live or die. The Oracle will be able to fix him up, I'm sure of it. But you have to go _now'

'One more thing: where are they taking Aerial?'

'_It looks as though they're heading right into the city._'

'Right.' Mimic hung up and relayed the information back to Sphere. 'If we can get him to the Oracle's, he'll be all right.' She took a step forwards and winced painfully. Her numerous cuts had congealed, and although they weren't leaking blood anymore they were still tender and painful. Mimic was glad she couldn't see her face – the Twin's razor had scored deep lines across her nose and cheeks, and one eye felt like fire. She pushed the relentless throb of the pain out of her mind and heaved the prone form of Seraph over her shoulder. Sphere led the way back inside the apartment, anxious for the program's health.

------

Aerial awoke... and immediately wished she hadn't. Falcon was arguing furiously with the Twin who wasn't driving, and the flashing of the streetlights was doing nothing to help the ache building at the back of her head. She struggled into a more upright position on the seat and drew a couple of deep breaths, trying to expel the sick feeling in her stomach. A glance out of the window revealed they were still in the city, so they can't have been driving long. Unless they had left the city and were in another one... No, the clock on the dash said 21:02. Slightly reassured that they hadn't gone far, Aerial came back to the moment with the realisation that the Twin and Falcon had ceased their arguing and were watching her.

The albino studied her face, and then commented, 'We see the resemblance.'

The car hit a rut, and the resultant jolt made her close her eyes as nausea clawed at her stomach. She cupped her forehead one hand, noting with quiet satisfaction that her hands weren't tied. The headache was spreading to the front of her head, and the base of her skull where the Twin had clubbed her throbbed incessantly. 'Where are you taking me?'

'Club Hel,' answered Falcon from beside her. She glanced sideways, feeling someone staring at her, but the bird was watching the road through his window. She looked up through her fingers and saw the second Twin watching her in the rear-view mirror. She shivered involuntarily. The Twins were subtly scaring her.

Out loud, she said, 'Why are you taking me to a nightclub?'

On her left, Falcon turned his head to face her. The Twin was right; Aerial saw her high cheek bones and sharp nose reflected in the program's features. 'Do not question. You are under our command now and you will do as we say.' She flinched at his clear accent, parallel to her own. To think she had thought the idea of the Matrix weird – this was strange beyond her nightmares.

She was compelled to disobey, to show them that she never would be under their control. 'Why did you snatch me, anyway?'

The Twin half turned in his seat to answer. 'Because, according to Tweety-Pie here, your abilities mirror his own.'

'Now who's turning American,' said Falcon nastily. The Twin stared at him, his sunglasses obscuring the filthy look he was giving the bird.

Aerial carefully filed this information. So, Falcon still thought she could go incorporeal and split herself, as she had done when protecting Tiresias in the park. When they discovered that in fact, she could do neither of those things, perhaps they would let her go?

The journey continued in silence. As they neared the city centre, the traffic lights multiplied, as did the number of copper-tops swarming along the pavements. Once Aerial twisted her head sharply, certain she had glimpsed a Rebel amongst the crowds, but the movement made pain slice into her skull, and she pressed her forehead against the cool window. The car was stuffy and humid, and she longed for fresh cold air. She rolled up her sleeves to try and cool off, and was surprised to find goose bumps peppering her arms. Her mind wandered back to the Oracle's apparent, and the injection she had been given.

'Bloody virus…'

Twin-who-wasn't-driving turned in his seat. 'We beg your pardon?'

'Aerial hesitated. 'Oh nothing.'

'Tell us.' The command held tones that suggested if the receiver refused, something unpleasant and painful would occur very shortly. Fortunately, Aerial was saved from a reply by the car taking a series of speed bumps at completely the wrong speed. Her stomach lurched and she vomited what was left of her last meal onto the floor. The Twin's porcelain face twitched in disgust and he turned back around without another word.

Falcon pushed a tissue box across the middle seat. Aerial grabbed a handful and tried to mop up the mess she had made. 'Forget it,' said Falcon softly, and a sneer thinned his lips. 'It's their car.'

------

The door to the Oracle's apartment was already open by the time Mimic and Sphere staggered up the last flight of stairs. They had declined from taking the lift due to Aerial's tinkering with the display. Of course, the Oracle knew what had happened. The two priestesses hurried out, and with a strength that defied their images, gently lifted Seraph from Mimic's shoulders. Mimic sagged against the wall, breathing harshly.

One priestess carried Seraph in her arms, the other shooed a gaggle of children back inside. A little Japanese boy in Buddhist robes dodged out from her arms and scurried across to the panting American in the stairwell. Mimic felt slim cool fingers stroke her forehead for a moment, and her strength flowed back into her arms and legs. The boy bowed to her and retreated back inside. Sphere raised her arm from the doorframe to let him scamper past and looked anxiously towards Mimic.

Mimic pulled herself up the last three steps and followed the Asian inside. The priestess crossed the sitting room and laid Seraph on the coffee table. Tiresias pulled his hands back as though he had brushed Seraph, but this was odd since he was a metre away from touching him. Sphere narrowed her eyes at him, and he turned his unseeing gaze on her, displaying that abnormal perceptiveness which had freaked them all out at one time or another on board. She noticed the flame-robed boy clinging to his arm.

The other Potentials surrounded the table in stunned silence. Sphere's almond gaze fell on a young girl, aged about nine. Her features strongly resembled Seraph's, and Sphere saw her eyes shine with tears. The Oracle herself entered from the kitchen, her eyes widening as her gaze took in the shot wounds to the program's torso. The blood made a stark contrast to the pure white of his jacket, and the children's gazes were transfixed by it. Sphere wondered at the fortunes that held them all, and her non-belief in deities was confirmed again. No God or Goddess would allow children to witness such things as this.

The Oracle knelt at the head of the table, parting the children gently. She examined Seraph with her eyes only, and Sphere got the impression they saw more than what was presented. A wave of guilt trickled over her, settling on her heart.

'Tiresias. Under the coffee table by your feet is a disk. Pass it to me, would you?' Tiresias reached a slender hand underneath the table and let his fingers explore the shelf beneath the glass surface. Sphere wondered as to why she had asked the blind one to find it, but reflected that she was probably testing him all the time.

Tiresias produced the disk, and the Oracle took it from his searching hand. She turned to another Potential, 'Kaede honey, could I borrow your laptop for a few minutes please?' The girl complied and fetched the device from the dining table at the other end of the lounge. The Oracle received it from her and slid the disk into the drive. She lined the body of the laptop up exactly with Seraph's head and ran the program contained on the disk.

Sphere opened her mouth to ask a question, but the Oracle answered before she had time to speak. 'The disk contains the back-ups to every program here, even Psyche, Delphi and myself.' She gestured to the two priestesses. 'It also contains encrypted versions of the programs working for the Merovingian, but that is another story. As soon as this baby kicks in, Seraph will be right as rain.'

The silence continued for a few minutes more, save for a clicking sound as the disk drive worked. The rhythm reminded Sphere of a heartbeat, and she realised that in effect it was. The little Chinese girl let slip a small sob, and the Oracle took her into her arms. 'Don't be troubled, sweetie. He's coming back, I promise.'

The whirring sound stopped, and something clicked. There was a burst of rich golden light, and Sphere squinted against the bright glare. The light lingered, and there was a metallic pulsing sound. The light intensified in waves which surged down the programs' prone form, each wave healing a single bullet wound. There was one more tremendous swell of sound and light, then the glow faded and the noise died.

Seraph's sculpted eyes flickered open.

* * *

**A/N::** To echo the notes in my Bio, please comment on somewhere I can improve. I write fanfiction as training for "real" fiction. Also, the Sentinel fight is not detailed because it is not important. 

**19-7-04** Altered due to review from Dark Puck – thanks!


	10. Betrayal

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10: BETRAYAL

* * *

_She uncovers a hidden truth._

* * *

The car rolled to a halt in a bay outside the club; the Twins got out of the car in perfect unison and Falcon escorted Aerial out of his door. A chunky man in black leather took the keys from the albino's outstretched hand and drove the SUV to the underground parking zone. Falcon placed a warning hand on Aerial's left shoulder and steered her through the doors. The bouncers on duty nodded at the Twins, who lead the way.

They boarded a lift and rode it down to the basement. The lurching made Aerial's stomach heave again. She bent double and retched, but her stomach was empty. Something sticky and burningly hot came from her mouth, and she realised it was stomach acid. She coughed, but this only irritated her throat even more, and she whimpered softly. She felt wretched and uncomfortably hot and stifled.

The lift doors slid open and the Twins stalked out, passing through the coat check with the aid of small cards which they produced on demand. Falcon was less lucky and was perfunctorily frisked. The coat-checker glanced at Aerial, then at the Twins, who shook their heads. Aerial felt a stab of hope: they hadn't found her gun.

She followed the albinos down a small corridor and through two sets of double swing doors. The wave of intense noise, heat, scent and light which hit her nearly took her feet from underneath her. The club was packed with people – mostly young men and women of about eighteen to twenty-five. At least two thirds had furiously coloured hair. The music was heavy and pulsing; Aerial recognised a 'Junkie XL' track.

The Twins formed a kind of snow-plough, effortlessly cutting through the crowd of dancers, who then closed smoothly back in after them. Aerial was protected by being in close proximity to the tall albinos, but Falcon again received the recoil of the Twins' privileges. Elbows, knees and arms all came spearing his way, and he was seriously considering breaking a random limb to vent his annoyance.

Aerial's illness had progressed swiftly, and the strange dark world around her began to spin gently. The fluorescent lights punctuating the gloom sliced into her eyes and flared in her forehead, and the throbbing beat of the music echoed uncomfortably loudly in her ears. Fully aware she was absolutely boiling, she couldn't stop herself from shivering.

Finally, the Twins climbed a short, curving, metallic staircase. Aerial gripped the banister so hard her knuckles became small white pebbles under her skin as she climbed, trying vainly to halt the dizzy spinning inside her head. The sight that awaited her brought on a wave on acute self-awareness.

Surrounded by various flunkies and smartly dressed men was a _chaise-langue_; seated on the red velvet were a middle-aged man and a younger woman. The woman's eyes focused on Aerial as Falcon steered her towards them. The Twins split smoothly like someone walking away from a mirror, and came to rest standing symmetrically behind the _chaise_. One of them murmured something. Without taking his eyes from the bird and his captive, the man nodded twice.

Aerial lowered her head, wishing vainly for a change of clothes. She was streaked with sweat; her once-immaculate shirt and jacket were freckled with Seraph's blood. She hoped that the Chinese program was all right. Traces of vomit clung to her trouser legs, and she was aware of how pale her hands were. They trembled as she stared at them, and she laced her fingers tightly.

'Falcon. Come here, please.'

His accent was unmistakably French. Falcon skirted her and strode over to the man. More muttered words were exchanged, and Aerial began to wonder if the virus hadn't damaged her hearing. Falcon left the same way he had come without looking at her, although he moved his wings very slightly and brushed her shoulder. Aerial thought she saw the woman's eyes harden a little.

'You, girl. Although you were not what I asked for, my attentions are aroused nonez'less.' Again, the woman's eyes intensified, and she shifted slightly. The man raised his gaze and spoke to someone behind her. 'Tiger, take 'er somewhere where she can rest. She does not look too well...' His voice elevated to a tone of mock concern, and Aerial felt the beginnings of dislike towards him.

Another hand fell on her shoulder. Aerial forced her limited supplies of brainpower to work. Where had she heard that name before? She turned to get a better look at "Tiger" and narrowed her eyes in confusion. Was that a woman or... no, it _was_ a man. Adam's apple and lack of breasts confirmed it. But he did have undeniably feminine features; his wrists were slender, his fingers long and thin.

Now _where _had she heard his name before?

------

Mimic and Sphere jacked out of the Matrix thoroughly tired out. Phoenix nearly made the fatal mistake of unplugging Aerial, but caught herself just in time. _She's not jacked out, remember?_ Mentally kicking herself for being so automatic, she approached the tall American. 'Mimic, why have they snatched Aerial?'

'Phoenix, I don't know, okay? The lot of you, piss off to bed. I want someone watching the Matrix at all times in case something happens. I have a feeling we'll be jacking in a lot more in the next few hours. Phoenix, take first watch.'

Phoenix closed her mouth and moved out of the way as Mimic stormed past. Vriha rested a hand on her shoulder briefly, and then ran after Sphere, who had headed straight for the med bay. Spess sighed slightly, 'It's not your fault, Phi.'

'I know, I know, Mimic just needs someone to kick off at. So why is it always me? _Enfer foutu_!' __Phoenix threw herself into the chair and sulked, tugging on the headphones and running a search for the little English Rebel. Spess thought about comforting her, thought better of it, and went to find Mimic. He was concerned about her injuries. Both her and Sphere had sustained considerable damage, and although the wounds didn't show in the Real World, the mind concerned still created pain.

Genius glanced after Spess as he left, then approached Phoenix gingerly. 'Hey, I could take your watch if you want.'

Phoenix swivelled and gave him a strange look.

'I want to watch out for Aerial...' he said softly.

Phoenix looked into space for a few minutes, and then conceded the headset. 'All right Genius. I know how much you care for her. Don't stay up too late now. Call on me after four hours at the latest, okay?'

Genius nodded, and the French girl relinquished the Operator's chair to him. Damn right he cared about Aerial. He would do anything in the world for her, which was why he had volunteered to take the watch. He would need access to the answering machine they had hacked. He was expecting a phone call. He knew exactly who had snatched Aerial, and he had some idea of why.

He stared at her soulless body, and then at the form of Tiresias beside her. Then he counted to ten. He was seriously tempted to rip the jack out of that bastard's head right now. If Tiresias hadn't joined their crew, he would have had Aerial all to himself, which was the reason he was doing this.

Wind had got to the Merovingian of this blind Rebel whose alias hinted of greater things, and the program had surreptitiously posted a website offering a job to prospective spies. Genius had replied, and for once there was a stab of truth in his boasting. He did have some talent in eavesdropping and basic mechanical skills, which were all that were required.

He couldn't believe his luck when he had overheard that Tiresias had been summoned by the Oracle, and had wasted no time in contacting the mysterious program.

So Genius had become the little spy, conveniently placed to relay all movements of the blind rebel to his employer, working for free on the belief that Aerial would be his reward. It was Genius who had made the call informing the Merovingian that Tiresias was meeting the Oracle in the park. It was Genius who had told again of Tiresias' second visit.

And now he was furious.

He didn't have long to wait. The dull ringtone sounded, and Genius answered it before it had completed its first ring. 'Yes?'

'_Mon espion humane_.'

'Why have you got Aerial?' hissed Genius. 'She has nothing to do with this.'

'I thought z' same thing. 'Owever, I have _found_ a reason for her. She will remain 'ere to make sure you keep up the bargain.'

'_What_?!'

'Z' girl will remain 'ere wiz me until you deliver z' Oracle.' His employer's voice grew thin and impatient. 'The capture 'as already failed twice.'

'You don't think I was trying to cheat you, do you?' whispered Genius incredulously.

'I must admit, z' thought crossed my mind more than once, which is why I 'ave decided to keep _la fille Anglaise_. I am told she displays program-like abilities.'

Genius pressed his lips together. The less he knew of her, the more likely he was to let her free. 'Okay, okay. You can't fail this time. I'll be doing the setting up, so it can't go wrong.'

'It had better not,' threatened the French voice at the other end. Genius felt sweat break out onto his brow. His employer hung up, leaving a shaken Genius scanning the screens absently.

------

Tiger led Aerial through the packed club and to a small backdoor, which he unlocked with a small key from his pocket. When it opened, Aerial caught her breath. Instead of the seedy back street she had been expecting was a small library, bookshelves lining the walls. Tiger thrust her unceremoniously onto the leather sofa. 'You can stay here for now. Do not leave this room. If anyone comes, just tell them you are a prisoner of the Merovingian and under Tiger's protection, and they won't harm you.' His dark eyes rested on her for a moment, and then he was gone. The door snapped shut behind him.

She had been here for about an hour with no sign of any life besides herself. She did not permit herself to wonder how an ornate library could be so casually attached to a club like that one. The Matrix was evidently a stranger "place" than she had ever dared to dream.

Instead she tuned her loose jumbled thoughts to Tiger, and eventually, she remembered where she had heard that name. The Oracle had spoken of someone named 'Tiger' at the Merovingian's. She felt a little better now she knew where she was, but this thought brought up the uneasy subject of the door, and she wrenched her mind from it. She was so tired...

Merging. The Oracle had been telling her about Merging, and she had said...

'You could have seen an example of it for yourself,' whispered Aerial to the bookshelves as realisation dawned.

This chilling knowledge fresh in her mind, she curled up on the sofa and slipped uneasily into a shivering sleep.

And so Persephone found her two hours later. The program entered the library and stopped still. She clearly saw Falcon's likeness in the image of a young girl curled tightly on the sofa, shuddering every few seconds. Persephone altered the intensity of her gaze and saw the ghostly greenish outline of a pair of wings, resting flush against the girl's back. She relaxed her stare and the image faded.

Curious, Persephone made her way across the carpet to the girl. Her face was smooth and ashen, resembling Falcon's refined features; the same jawline, the same high cheek bones, the same sharp nose. Her hair was longish and dark, tinted shadowy blue and tied in an efficient ponytail. A few wisps fell over her face and shifted as she breathed. Her pale attire was covered with bloodstains, and Persephone grimaced at the harsh stench of vomit. Her dark coat covered her like a blanket.

She guessed this young woman was either bait for a rescue attempt, or a safety net in case the agreement with the Rebel went sour. In either case, she was not a common prisoner, and Persephone was glad Tiger had also concluded this when he had led her away. It would not do for her to be amongst the other prisoners when she had such a close relationship with the Second Oracle.

Persephone stared at the girl again. Alas, like her twin, she had nobody in her heart either. No, wait... there was somebody growing, but it was not love yet.

It was _pity_.

Persephone smiled in fond frustration. Humans were such overly-complex creatures. The web of their emotions was unfathomable, and for the most part, useless. When / if that pity developed into love, she would consider bargaining. For now, she would leave her in peace. Persephone cast one more look at the girl and exited the room, as elegant as a nymph.

------

The crew of the Alethea gathered once again in the mess hall, fitting more easily due to the missing two. Sphere spoke instead of Mimic this time. Her voice was quiet. 'This morning Phoenix discovered Aerial's position. Vriha and I will go in and get her out.'

A thick silence descended.

Phoenix stood suddenly and went out. They heard her footsteps clinking on the ladder as she climbed to the main deck. Spess and Mimic followed her, Genius tagging along with them.

Vriha turned to Sphere, 'Are you sure you want to do this?'

'Don't talk to me about the risks, or else I'll never go.' She forced a bright smile, one that pulled at her cheeks just a little too tightly. 'How hard can this be anyway?'

Vriha's hand came up on an impulse and cupped her cheek, and Sphere pressed her hand to it. Vriha could not look at her. Her eyes betrayed her feelings. With his face turned away, he brought his other hand tenderly to the nape of her neck and pulled her close to him. They held each other for a minute, perhaps more, searching out their courage.

It happened so easily, like a swell in music, like a bubble in a dream.

Sphere surfaced from the deep kiss and looked into Vriha's expressive dark eyes. He stared back, searching her soul, and both saw that the other was completely set with this mission.

They awoke in the Matrix, and without a word, got into the car.

The journey was not too far, and the convertible skimmed the roads easily. The lonely road through the mountains was fresh with morning air, and a hunting eagle shrieked a lonely call high above them. A crow cawed from the pine woods and another one answered it.

The car stopped in a small shower of gravel on the path. The two Rebels got out and crept to the walls. Vriha flipped open a mobile and speed dialled. 'Where to?'

'_Follow the wall around to the right, and jump in the ninth window. The architecture is weird inside there, but get to the second floor. The library is where she is. I think._'

Rain began to spit out of the grey skies as Vriha hung up. He and Sphere followed the wall around, counting the windows. Sure enough, the ninth one was unlocked, and slid easily open at Sphere's touch. They slipped into a room of glass cases housing various antique weapons. Both Rebels drew their firearms.

The occupants of the mansion seemed to be late risers, and Sphere and Vriha made it to the second floor without incident. Both had entered the hyper-alert state where every movement is cat-like and silent. Vriha moved steadily along a corridor, gently opening each door to check for the library whilst Sphere covered him.

His gut froze as he opened one door to find himself eye to eye with a young man.

Instinctively he jerked back, and tried to slam the door shut, but the man wedged a foot in the crack. There was a sickening crunch as bones shattered, but the man merely smiled wolfishly. Sphere brought her gun round, flicked off the safety and fired in one movement. The bullet thudded into the man's forehead, and he fell back. Vriha slammed the door and the two of them raced forwards, kicking open doors as they came to them.

The crash of splintering wood echoed from behind them, and Sphere whipped around to see the same man whom she had shot leering at her. A second, shorter man followed him through and stood next to him. Both wore black loose shirts and tighter trousers, giving them a musketeer-type look. The first man had leapt through the door without bothering to open it, and fragments of broken wood littered the carpet.

'Who do you think you are?' sneered the first. 'You break and enter a house, then shoot me for no apparent reason.'

'You have something of ours,' replied Sphere coolly. 'We would like it back.' She trained her two handguns on both of the strange men whilst her brain tried to comprehend the unhurt man.

'Well, the custom is to ask, isn't it?' retorted the second.

Vriha sensed their attention was diverted and softly opened the door nearest to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar slight figure curled into herself on a leather sofa. He turned his head slowly and made a small gesture. Aerial levered herself up and came across to him. Vriha was struck by how pale the teenager was.

Sphere grew tired of the cat and mouse exchanges, and as soon as Vriha touched her back, she opened fire on the two of them. Her bullets hit home, but she suspected they would not do much good. Vriha pulled Aerial with him along the corridor as Sphere tried to reload two guns at the same time.

Vriha rounded a corner and stopped very suddenly. Too suddenly.

On the ship, Vriha's form jerked in the terrifying way Phoenix had only ever seen once in her life as an Operator.

'NO!'

The Pakistani lowered his head and stared at the switchblade embedded in his chest. His clouding gaze followed the hand holding it to the arm, then the chest, then the pallid albino face. He felt his lungs go tight as the blade withdrew, and the white hot pain began to ebb away with his life blood. He was dimly aware of someone screaming. His heart throbbed harshly in his punctured chest, spilling wave after wave of warm blood down his front. His legs lost their feeling, and he fell gently to the floor, slipping into the welcome void that welled up behind his eyes to meet him. His dark eyes closed.

Aerial lurched away from the Twins, horror and rage overwhelming her senses. Her mouth was open to scream again, but she was beyond expression of her emotions.

Sphere clenched her teeth and launched herself at the Twin holding the switchblade, beyond thoughts or words. Pure hatred fuelled and controlled her muscles, and she tore like a tame cat turned savage, wreaking havoc upon the albinos. So great was her fury that the Twins were taken aback, and she might have had a chance if the two werewolves hadn't suddenly reappeared.

Bullets thudded into Sphere, and her life was gone before she hit the floor.

* * *

**A/N::** My thanks to Dark Puck for the spelling corrections and the... _advice_ (Nudge, wink). Alterations have been made; if you experienced a _déjà-vu_ during this period, we apologise for the inconvenience. If Aerial was feeling better, she might have tried to read a book and thus escaped, but she's still poorly-sick. Poor baby...


	11. Aftershock

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11: AFTERSHOCK

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_The spy makes his third attempt._

* * *

The two werewolves holstered their weapons and surveyed the mess they had created. The prisoner had her head in her hands and was shaking violently, pressed into the corner. Werewolves and ghosts stared at each other, vying for supremacy, and the Twins won, as usual. 

'We will inform him what has happened. You two will take the bodies to the dungeons. We will send for Tiger to take care of the girl.'

'Why does Tiger always get the best jobs?' grumbled Abel, eyeing the little human.

Cain slapped him over the head, and he yelped. 'Use your head, for once?'

'What? Oh, I get you.'

All four programs watched the human girl. The concept of twinning was well known to them, as was Tiger's situation. Respect was sparse between those in the Merovingian's employ, but there were one or two who were considered worthy. Vlad and Cujo commanded it from their respective sides, as did Tiger, the Outcaste vampire. He was actually more intelligent and a better fighter than Vlad, but had declined the position of command for reasons known only to himself.

He had also chosen to abandon the vampire clan, who had consequently disowned him. He was now one of the Merovingian's favourites due to his neutrality.

Cain fingered the hole in his forehead, withdrawing his fingers and sniffing his own blood. This earned him a disparaging look from the Twins, who stalked down the corridor to the staircase. Cain wiped his fingers on his sleeve, 'You take him.' He pointed at the Pakistani man's corpse. Abel hoisted the body onto his shoulders without too much trouble, and Cain grabbed the Asian woman. 'Nobody shoots me and gets away with it,' he muttered, slinging the corpse across his shoulders.

They turned towards the library door, and met Tiger coming the other way. Either the Twins' telepathy extended to beyond each other, or the scent of blood had spread fast. Cain nodded respectfully, and the vampire returned it. 'They tried to rescue her. Two bodies here, and the girl needs a room change.'

'There're a couple of free racks downstairs where you can put them,' Tiger said quietly. Cain nodded and slipped through the opening in the wall, Abel at his heels.

Tiger closed the bookcase behind them and sniffed deeply. The scent of fear led him to the human girl, crouched sobbing against the wall. She was covered in congealing blood, although it was not her own, and the carpets and walls were stained with bright sprays of it. The smell played havoc with Tiger's senses.

He mastered himself and strode across to the human, kneeling beside her quaking form. 'I've been instructed to take you to another room.'

The girl lifted her head and looked at him, her breathing harsh and her pupils dilated with horror. They looked neutrally at one another. She said nothing, and Tiger tilted his head and looked quizzically at her. 'Can you speak?'

The girl lowered her eyes and tried to control her heaving chest; she swallowed, but no recognisable sound came from her trembling lips. Her eyelids became heavy and her gaze unfocused. She slipped into unconsciousness, and Tiger caught her as she fell forwards.

He picked her up gently, cupping her as one would a small child, and carried her towards the stairs, all the while probing the feeling that kept on assailing him.

------

Spess removed Vriha and Sphere from the entry chairs and laid them side by side together, covered with rough blankets. He shook his head. They had known it was dangerous, yet they had tried anyway.

'So close... So fucking close.'

He was furious with himself for not stopping them, for not insisting that he should go with them. The anger kept his tears back; he would not grieve for his friends until they were avenged.

Phoenix hadn't said a word since her scream at the moment of Vriha's death. She too seemed to be quietly fuming, putting off the grief until there was time. It was a good system, reflected Spess. Emotions about one or two lives were best left until they had made progress saving the entire human race. Vriha and Sphere would have wanted them to carry on, to continue what they had started, to get Aerial out. Alive.

There were only four active crewmembers left: Mimic, Spess, Phoenix and Genius. Mimic called them together again, in view of the Matrix feed. Phoenix kept her eyes on the screens as she listened.

'Right. We are going to need every bit of energy we have for this, so I suggest we start the night cycle again, now. In six hours we'll meet back here and plan out how we're going to get Aerial out of there. Tiresias may have decided to return by then, so we might have his brain to help. In light of current events, it sounds harsh, but we all know this is what Vriha and Sphere would want us to do. Okay?'

They nodded, all too aware of the lifeless forms in the small bay.

Three hours later, several screens illuminated a lone figure in the gloom of the main deck. Genius completed the command string and executed it, then dialled a number. He held a brief conversation and hung up, then waited for ten minutes exactly and dialled a second number.

'Tiresias? It's me, Genius. Listen buddy, something real bad happened to Vriha and Sphere just a couple of hours ago. Mimic is just outside waiting for you. If you can get outside the Oracle's, she'll pick you up, okay? ... She wants everyone back in the real world so we can work something out. ... Yeah, Aerial's here, but she's asleep right now. Just be outside in about two minutes, okay? Nice one.'

Genius waited until he heard the click as Tiresias hung up, then peeled off the headset. He switched everything off except the Matrix feed and resumed his watch. If this failed now, who knew what would happen to Aerial...

------

Tiresias made his way down the flights of stairs, slightly unsure of what he was doing. The call from Genius niggled away at his mind. Why had Mimic not come up to get him? Maybe they had finally decided to grant him a little independence. But what had Genius said? Something "real bad" happened to Sphere and Vriha? If it was this serious, why hadn't she come in for him?

The questions hovering in his head, clouding his thoughts, dispelled in an instant as a flash of... _something_ hit him. He could not see anything, but he heard things; a soft sound as a blade encountered the resistance of flesh; gunshots; a scream. He pressed himself to the wall, fearful of falling, until the "vision" subsided. A chill rush swept through him as he realised what had happened to Vriha and Sphere.

Hang on... If he was supposed to be the Oracle, why was he getting visions of the past? Unless this was the dual aspect: he got the past while the Oracle got the future. Confused, he felt his way down the last flight of stairs and to the door. The night air was cold and smelt of petrol fumes. He could hear the throb of a car motor.

He lingered in the porch. Something wasn't right. Mimic, her usual pitying self, would have come to him by now, gingerly taking his arm. If Aerial was here, she would have spoken; _any_ of the crew would have spoken. So why was there silence?

He stepped uncertainly out of the safety of the porch, and was immediately grabbed from either side, his arms held tightly by long-fingered hands. Tiresias struggled violently, but he was held firm; his kicking legs met no target. He silently cursed his useless eyes.

The lying little _bastard_...

Tiresias thrashed about like he had never before, his fury a fire in his heart. 'Fuck you, Genius!'

'Manners, Oracle.' The voice was smooth as glass; the accent southern English.

Tiresias found his arms twisted behind his back and held securely. 'We are instructed to blindfold those we take, but in this situation it's superfluous really. Don't you think?'

He said nothing, instinctively ducking his head as he was forced into the back seat of the waiting car. If he ever got out of this alive, he would strangle the arrogant little viper... And he would get out, wherever he was being taken to. The Oracle must have known about this, and Seraph would be sent to get him back. Slightly more reassured about his predicament, he lolled his head back against the headrest and started to count the turns they made.

------

Aerial awoke to find she was lying on a double bed in an ornate, uncluttered room. The drapes were half-drawn and strong sunlight streamed into the room. She struggled upright, feeling weak and cold. Her own scent repulsed her, and she tore off her coat and flung it from her. The stench of old vomit lessened, although her top was covered in blood.

Tears sprang to her eyes as images flashed into her head, Vriha sinking slowly to the carpet in a lake of blood, Sphere's body jerking as she was shot, the careless way the two men in black treated them. And then the lack of hostility from Tiger that could only be called kindness. She recalled his face, the faint shape of his eyes behind the dark lenses of his shades.

The door opened suddenly, and Tiger looked in. 'You're awake.'

Aerial tried to thank him for his thoughtfulness, but her mouth would not move. The program remained at the door, 'Still not speaking, hmm? I suppose it's shock.' His eyes looked her over, and found the coat discarded by the bed. 'You are a hostage, and are to be looked after. I will arrange for a change of clothing for you, if you wish.'

Aerial managed to nod. Tiger inclined his head to her; his long hair falling forwards like ebony water, then exited the room silently.

Aerial had just swung her legs over the side of the bed when the program reappeared. 'You should know that the human Oracle has been captured and is being brought here directly.' He lingered, and his gaze became sharper as though he were seeing her soul. Then he was gone again, as suddenly as he had come.

_Shit_... Aerial flopped back on the bed, her fists clenching in anger and despair. So they had captured Tiresias. She tugged out her ponytail and sat up, releasing the tension on her scalp.

_The Merovingian must want Tiresias because of his Oracle abilities. That must have been who he meant when he said he didn't expect me. But what's the Merovingian's interest in all this? Why does he want to know about the fate of the Matrix as well?_

Aerial turned this over in her mind. _Falcon works for him, he must do. Falcon is a program; so are those albinos, and I bet those men in black are too. The only possible explanation for the club-to-palace problem is that this place does not obey the rules of the Matrix. But, it has to exist _within _the Matrix for it to exist at all, because it certainly doesn't exist in the Real World. Does it? _

She was ejected from her train of thought by the door opening a third time, but it was not Tiger. Instead, the female program from the club stepped inside, a bundle of something over one arm. She turned and closed the door, then swept elegantly over to the bed.

'Abel was sent to bring you these, but I persuaded him to let me.' Persephone gave the hostage the clean clothes. The girl was still shaking, but she couldn't tell if it was from fear, cold or shock. She concluded all three. The warmth of the blood split over her during the corridor scuffle had long turned cold and steely, and her face was flecked with it.

The Merovingian had given no clear instructions on the treatment of the girl, but she seemed to be eliciting a gentle response from all who came into contact with her. It was Persephone's belief that, as a hostage, the girl should be treated fairly and courteously. Assuming she would be released, she was a guest, and such social quirks as hospitality held sway even here.

The girl inspected the clothes. Tiger had thoughtfully programmed them to be replicates of the garments she wore now. Persephone was a little concerned for Tiger, for since the arrival of Falcon's twin he had been very quiet and brooding. He never showed it in front of any of the others, naturally, but Persephone had caught him playing the piano in the reception room last night. He was improvising, and improvising well, and that bothered Persephone. Such things as music did not normally hold any significance for programs, especially as it was an expression of emotion.

Then again, the majority of residents in the château were here because of their emotions.

Persephone realised the girl was staring into space, the clothes forgotten in her arms, tears shivering off her cheeks. The program sat beside her, marvelling at the similarities between her and Falcon. The same curve to the spine; the same shadow-dark hair.

Gingerly, Persephone put her hand on the girl's narrow shoulder. The little human tensed under her touch, and lifted her eyes to her. Persephone made a small smile, as reassuring as she could be, and relayed the message she had been told to give.

'My husband wants to see you later this evening. He hopes you will join him in the restaurant. You intrigue him.'

The girl still said nothing, and Persephone stood up. 'Someone will come for you at about six o'clock tonight. The rest of the day is your own, but I would advise you not to wander too far.' She left the guest room, annoyed at the girl's lack of response, and attempting to crush the pity in her simulated heart.

------


	12. Ripples

**

* * *

**

12: RIPPLES

* * *

_Things are happening faster now._

* * *

Watching the monitors, Genius smiled grimly as Tiresias was bundled into the Twins' SUV. He waited until the string with his exclamation was out of view, then jumped up and ran for the ladders, shouting down, 'Get up! They've got Tiresias! Mimic, wake up, now! Quick! Fucking wake up!'

Spess shot up the ladder like a monkey, seizing Genius by the shoulders. He had obviously not been asleep. 'What?'

'I was watching the Oracle's to see if Seraph was okay, but then Tiresias came downstairs. Next thing I see, he's been grabbed by the ghost programs and stuffed into a car!'

Phoenix appeared next, her red hair dishevelled, closely followed by Mimic. Spess released Genius and tore across the main deck to the screens. He scanned them quickly and clenched his teeth. 'He's right.'

'Shit,' said Phoenix and Mimic simultaneously. 'We have to get him back,' stated Mimic, stepping forwards and booting up her vitals monitor.

Phoenix slid into the chair and called up a layout map of the city. She typed something, her fingers flashing over the keyboard, and a red dot appeared, travelling steadily. 'Hold it, Mim. We need to find out where they're taking him first.'

'Isn't it obvious? The same place they've taken Aerial.'

Spess looked sideways at Genius. 'You sure?'

'Well, they took Aerial as you were coming out from the Oracle's last time. That bird thing showed up the first time you went to see her. They must know he's the second oracle, but it beats me how they know that...'

'Who's "they", anyway?' asked Phoenix, running a search.

'And why would he or she be concerned about the future?' added Spess, turning to Genius.

'Why're you looking at me? I don't know!'

'You're doing a lot of guessing, Genius. It's weird that it was on your watch that this happened.' Spess stared at him.

'You don't think I had anything to do with this?' Genius' breathing became heavier with anger, and he stared unflinchingly at the taller man.

Mimic came up behind Spess and drew him away with a hand on his shoulder. Genius glared at the pair of them whispering in the corner, and as he watched, Spess' shoulders loosened and his scowl faded. Thank God for Mimic – he was seriously worried Spess would have exposed him.

'Phoenix, how're we doing for squiddy activity where we are now?'

'I think we've got about... three hours before we're in the danger zone. But you never know.'

'We should move,' murmured Spess. 'We need a clear run.'

Phoenix turned around in her seat and surveyed the three of them. 'Would it be possible to negotiate the return of both of them? I'm just thinking,' she added quickly in response to Mimic's raised eyebrows, 'about the last time we tried getting Aerial out by force.' Her voice broke, but she swallowed and kept her composure. 'I don't want that to happen again.'

Four pairs of eyes glanced uneasily at the bay.

'Look,' said Phoenix, gesturing to a screen to her left. 'This is the mansion where Aerial is. After... Well, she's been moved to here.' She pointed to a room off a long corridor. 'This is pretty easy to find, you just go-- hey, what happened?'

The screen flickered and fuzzed, and then cleared. Phoenix scanned it, disbelief etched on her face. 'It's changed...' They stared at the screen. All the right rooms were there, but in the wrong places. 'O-kay...'

'That's _weird_,' commented Genius.

'If you somehow manage to get into there, I won't be able to guide you. I already tried phoning Aerial, but there's no reception inside. I'm not surprised, really, being in the mountains.' Phoenix touched the screen to cycle to the left, but instead of more mansion, the screen showed something different.

'A club?!'

The others leaned in closer. The label in the corner of the screen displayed the name – Club Hel - with an address. There was a pause, then Spess spoke. 'Is anyone else thinking databases?'

'What?' asked Genius. 'I didn't do offices, I made viruses.'

'With databases, you can link files so that if one changes, the rest change according to it,' Mimic explained. 'But I don't know what changed.'

'Can we get an infra-red view of this?' asked Spess. Phoenix fiddled, and the map flashed into colour. A blue speck moved to the back of the main room, and paused. Then it vanished from view. Spess shot his arm out and touched back to the previous screen, and there was the blue speck again, on the left hand edge of the display. 'They _are _linked.'

'Look!' exclaimed Phoenix, pointing towards the city map, 'They've taken Tiresias here.' She zoomed in and read the name, _'Le Vrai _'. I bet that's connected as well...' She looped through the layout of the club, and sure enough, there was a diagram of the high rise, complete with restaurant on floor 101.

'How close can you get us to there?' demanded Mimic.

Phoenix was silent for a moment, searching for the nearest hardline. 'Three blocks away. You want to go?'

Spess jumped in before Mimic, 'We'll go, but just to learn more. I think we've summarised that they're not going to hurt either of them, so what's the harm in finding out more before we charge in with a rescue mission?'

Only after Phoenix had jacked them all in did she discover the outgoing calls log file had been updated.

------

Falcon lounged on the sofa in the library, channel hopping. He came across the security camera feed and cycled through the channels, stopping curiously on one of the guest rooms. His twin was sprawled on the double bed, sleeping off her ordeal. Word had spread quickly of the humans' rescue attempt, and Cain and Abel were still gloating about it. The Twins were out on "business", as were most of the other programs.

He wanted to talk to her; wanted to find out more about the link they had. A lesser werewolf known as Doberman had turned up an hour ago telling him that the Merovingian wanted him present in the restaurant tonight, but he couldn't think why.

He was staring absently at the screen when the vampire Tiger came in. He looked at the screen, then at Falcon, who snapped out of it and switched off hurriedly.

'Keep it on, if you like. She intrigues me too.'

Falcon placed the remote carefully on the arm of the chair and arched his head back, yawning. Tiger moved across his field of vision, and he felt the settee sag slightly as the program sat at the other end. There were so many questions he was dying to ask Tiger: how long it took to become Merged, for example.

Presently Tiger spoke again, 'The Second Oracle has been caught, by the way. The human spy tricked him into leaving the building alone.'

'Surely the Oracle knows this?'

'She knew it would happen, so she could not warn him. I'm amazed _he _didn't know. Some oracle.' Tiger slouched and examined the fingernails of his left hand. 'Apparently he's very close with your twin.'

'Yeah, I know. She was protecting him when I tried to get him the first time.' The conversation lulled, then Falcon asked, 'Why does he want the Second Oracle anyway?'

Tiger looked straight at him, and the hair on the nape of his neck rose. 'Who would not want to know the future?'

'Ah. I see your point.' Again, there was a pause. Falcon was cultivating a very bitter feeling, and he blurted out a question. 'Who caught Tiresias?'

'You mean Oracle-boy? The Twins.'

Falcon growled; his wings flared. Tiger smiled wryly, 'The Merovingian isn't too pleased with you, actually.'

'Bloody Twins made me take on Wingless single handed,' raged Falcon. 'Bastards!'

Tiger raised an eyebrow, 'How did it go?'

'I lost, miserably. They said it would be my chance to prove myself, but I blew it.' Falcon was silent for a minute or so. 'Where could I go apart from here?'

'The Agents of the System will catch you. They always do; they've become terribly efficient at it.' Tiger stood up and stretched. 'Pass me the remote.'

Falcon handed it over, and Tiger cycled to a particular security camera. The image showed the albinos walking from their car to the entrance to the restaurant, a tallish young man between them. His head was held at an unusual angle, higher than normal.

'The Master will be busy tomorrow, so he will be held with your twin for tonight.'

'How do you know that?'

'I will make sure it happens,' said Tiger simply. Falcon tilted his head. He was certain Tiger had deeper designs for this, but exactly what they were he couldn't work out. Tiger sighed and switched of the television. 'You'd better go and get her. You two are wanted at the Merovingian's table this evening.

'Yeah, I know.' Falcon stood up. 'Any idea why?'

Tiger shrugged. 'Why not go and find out?'

------

Aerial awoke. The digital clock on the bedside table showed 17:45, and the female program's words came back into her head. _Someone will come for me at six_.

She was feeling slightly better; her stomach was more settled, and although she was cold, she was not shivering. She stood up and stretched, glad of the clean clothes she had changed into. Her eyes were heavy with dried tears, but she resolved not to cry anymore. The best thing she could do would be to avenge her friends.

The light filtering through the windows was heavy and golden, and dust motes swarmed like living things in the sunbeam. Aerial wondered if there was a specific program to control them, too. Speaking of which...

Aerial moved the middle of her floor and stood in parallel position. Then, after a couple of tries, she went invisible.

A rush of relief went through her as she realised the virus hadn't finished working yet. It was noticeably harder to do it, but the point was, she still could. In light of this new information, a new plan formed in her head. She would pretend she still could, and then maybe they would let her go free when the virus finished its work.

She faded back just as the door opened and Falcon stepped in. "The Merovingian wants us both at the restaurant tonight, though I can't think why. Probably something to do with your abilities."

Aerial was surprised at the degree of friendliness he showed. Considering they had nearly seriously wounded each other, Falcon was very calm. "I advise you to answer all his questions truthfully," he said, taking a few steps into the room.

Perhaps it was just as well she could still split and go incorporeal. Falcon mistook her lack of speech for fear, and gave her a quick smile. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you." He gestured to the door. "Please follow me."

* * *

**A/N:: **It should be pointed out that the crew of the _Alethea_ could be wrong about the château linking system… thing.


	13. The Restaurant

**13: THE RESTAURANT**

* * *

_They are brought together again.  
  
_

* * *

Falcon led the human confidently through château to the entrance room. Behind him, he could sense her amazement at the décor, and smiled softly to himself. Abruptly, the smile vanished – he was getting too attached to her. Much more of this and they really would Merge, and Falcon wanted to stay Falcon, thank you very much.

He unlocked the door and took her directly to the restaurant via the kitchens. As they followed the aisle towards the dais, his twin looked behind them suddenly. He glanced back as well, and his stomach jumped. The Rebels were seated at one of the tables – the commanding woman, and two other males he hadn't come across. The younger man started up, but the elder clamped him back down with a dark-skinned hand on his shoulder.

The Merovingian had arranged for more chairs at his long table, and he and Persephone occupied the central two on the window side. Three more chairs sat opposite, one occupied by a young man in his twenties. He had his head in his hands and was staring blankly at the tablecloth.

'Tiresias!'

Relieved she had found her tongue at last, he stepped aside to allow Aerial to leap up the steps. Tiresias lifted his head, 'Aerial? Oh God, they got you too?'

'Yes, I'm afraid. Just as we left the Oracle's.' Aerial cast a nervous glance at the Merovingian, then sat beside Tiresias, touching his arm reassuringly. The tension left his shoulders.

Falcon took a seat beside Aerial, and they looked expectantly at him. The Frenchman sat back and studied them. 'Fascinating... Of course, you two are not z' first examples of zis phenomenon I 'ave come across, but it is intriguing nonez'less.'

Falcon was struck by a chilling possibility.

_He forced Tiger to Merge... An experiment._

He realised Persephone was staring at him, and shot her a glance. She smiled. He swallowed uncomfortably. 'What did you want to see us about?' he asked.

The Merovingian assumed a neutral expression. 'I merely wished to get to know you all. We 'ave no reason to be enemies, as long as certain rules are observed.'

'How do you know my crew aren't planning another rescue mission right now?' snapped Aerial.

'Believe me, little human, you _will_ be remaining 'ere for quite a while. I hold all z' keys in zis game, and _I_ will decide who leaves and when.' The Merovingian stared at her for some seconds until she looked away.

'What do you want with me?' asked Tiresias quietly.

Both the Frenchman and Persephone looked at him. '_You_ will remain 'ere indefinitely,' answered the Frenchman, a different tone to his voice.

The blind man noticed and shifted uneasily. 'What do you want with me?' he repeated, quite rightly sensing the Merovingian hadn't answered his question.

'You will see.'

Falcon didn't like this at all. The Merovingian had survived plenty of Matrixes without knowing the future; why should he want Tiresias now? He wouldn't admit to himself the twin-brother nature he was developing around Aerial. A glance to the left revealed the Twins glaring at the two of them. Tiger was nowhere to be seen.

The Merovingian straightened suddenly and looked past Falcon down the aisle. '_Mon deiu... Qu'est-ce que c'est maintanant_

Falcon swivelled and saw a very disconcerting sight. Striding purposefully down the aisle towards the dais came a strikingly pretty young woman. Falcon discovered suddenly that he couldn't take his eyes from her.

She was Asian; slimly built like a dancer. Her dark dress shifted shades as she approached, and her black eyes were confident. 'I wish to speak with you_, Monseiur_.' She reached the table, standing to Falcon's left, and bowed. He was surprised to note that she was in fact shorter than him.

The Merovingian barely concealed his displeasure at her ill-timed arrival. 'Later, Tinnun. I am busy, and you are late as it is.'

'I'm sorry.' She bowed again, and leaned across. 'It concerns my twin. I've uncovered something I think you should know.'

Falcon tensed, his wings beneath the trench flaring slightly. Persephone shot him a warning glance.

The Merovingian delayed his response, then nodded briefly. 'All right. Falcon, take Tinnun through to z' reception. I will be wiz you shortly.'

Falcon had to work hard not to tremble as he nodded and stood. Tinnun regarded him critically; now he looked he noticed her eyes were yellow-rimmed, like a bird's.

_Like a bird's..._

He stood up, letting his hand touch Aerial's sleeve in farewell, and led the way towards the kitchens.

The Merovingian turned abruptly back to the two humans. 'Zis is unexpected, and I must attend to zis straight away. I will require you in z' restaurant tomorrow, my little fortune teller. Your twin is free to do as she pleases. Wiz'in reason,' he added.

Tiresias touched Aerial's shaking hand.

* * *

Falcon couldn't stop glancing behind him to see her. He had never seen another like her. He was in awe of her delicacy, her silent feet, her grace...

'Hadn't you better watch where you're walking?'

Her cold comment took him by surprise, and he faltered. 'What?'

She smiled, somewhat sarcastically. 'You're a bird, aren't you? Which one?'

'Peregrine falcon.' He turned and faced her properly. 'You were too, weren't you?' he guessed.

She smiled again. 'Yep. Kestrel. I must admit, it's nice to hear a familiar accent. This version is very American.'

'You can say that again,' concurred Falcon. 'It was just me and the Ghost Twins until you came.'

'Aha, the Twins... Yes, we've met.'

'You have?'

'Yep. They actually saved my skin, so I suppose I owe them.'

Falcon suddenly decided not to tell her about the Merovingian's little experiment. 'Agents?'

She nodded, and closed her eyes for a moment, quelling memories, he supposed. She opened them again and looked directly at him. 'So, where's this reception room?'

'Show me your wings first,' he challenged. Wings were well valued amongst the bird programs, especially since the unfortunate incident several Matrixes back involving the Merovingian's then-favourite program.

She complied with a slight laugh, and both spread their wings in the same instant. Hers were red-brown and of the same petit nature as Falcon's slate grey version. They stood for several seconds. Falcon nearly made his cry, but thought better of it. The high-pitched whickering wouldn't go down well with so much glass around.

'You're firing up my instinct,' she commented, folding her wings flush against her spine with a slight flutter. Falcon followed suit, and neither said anything for several seconds. The instinctive nature to bond with your own kind was accelerating Falcon's attachment to her. He gathered his courage and took her hand, nearly losing his breath over its fragility.

'This way.'

* * *

Aerial stood up, fury making her eyes shine oddly. The female program on the Frenchman's left was looking at her with such a penetrating gaze that she couldn't bring herself to meet it. The Merovingian however, was holding a murmured conversation with the albinos who had murdered Vriha.

Tiresias held onto her arm. 'Sit down, Aerial, please...'

Aerial did so, feeling her anger drain away suddenly and a bone-achingly tired sensation replace it. She felt empty and cold, although Tiresias beside her had taken his jacket off. He looked worn out; his hair dishevelled, his unfocused brown eyes narrowed, the fingers of his free hand restlessly moving on the tablecloth.

'Oracle.'

Persephone's voice took them both by surprise, and there was a pause before Tiresias spoke. 'I'm not worthy of that title yet.'

Persephone acknowledged this with a slight movement of her head, and then continued. 'How much do you see?'

Aerial sensed the dimensions of the question and listened, her own curiosity flaring.

Tiresias touched his eyelids. 'With these eyes, only void. I've... I've yet to see more than that.' He dropped his head, ashamed.

Persephone seemed disappointed, and abruptly rose from her seat. Aerial watched her strut calmly away towards the conventional exit of the restaurant. Tiresias sighed heavily. 'We're not needed here anymore, Aerial. Let's go. I'm boiling...'

Aerial brought her head close and whispered, 'The others are here. We could talk to them?'

'Good idea.' He stood up and flexed his fingers, finding his coat and slipping into it. Aerial took his hand and led him towards Mimic's table, casting a nervous glance behind her. Fortunately, the table had cleared, although in some ways she preferred knowing where everyone was. Especially those albinos.

She sat down opposite Genius as nonchalantly as possible, although he did nudge her feet under the table. Spess leaned in eagerly, 'Are you two okay?'

'We're fine,' she muttered back. 'It's going to take longer than we though to get out of here, though. The Frenchman's insisting on keeping Tiresias.'

Mimic swore quietly. 'What about your twin? And who was that other program that came in just now?'

'Her name's Tinnun, I think. Falcon's smitten with her; it was written all over him. She looked like another bird to me, but I'm not sure.'

'The only way out of this is to play the Frenchman at his own game. We'll have to bargain somehow.'

'What with?' asked Aerial meekly.

Tiresias put his head in his hands, 'Us, I reckon. We need time to think. Nothing's going to happen to either me or Aerial while we're here, I trust the Merovingian on that if nothing else. If we can get Falcon with us we might have something. I'll be back here tomorrow night; see if you can get in then.'

Mimic nodded, 'You guys haven't eaten _real _food in at least twenty-four hours. I'll get Phoenix to fill you up.'

'Thanks,' said Tiresias gratefully. 'No wonder I'm tired.'

'We'd better get going. No need to attract attention.' Mimic stood up and signalled to the two men. 'See you tomorrow,' she murmured, before leading her crewmates towards the doors. Genius glanced back, a strange look in his eyes.

Aerial stared after him.

_What's going on with him..?_


End file.
